This fight could be a decisive moment in both fighters' careers. If Budka loses, he will most likely leave the UFC, while Shahbazyan will find himself on the verge of being cut.
At first glance, this matchup seems easy for Shahbazyan, but his cardio will play a key role—something he claims to have worked on seriously, as he mentioned in a recent interview.
Budka is a wrestler at his core, but in the UFC, he has lost both of his fights to strikers—Cesar Almeida and Andre Petroski. Considering this, Shahbazyan should also be able to handle him.
Edmen Shahbazyan and Dylan Budka will face off at UFC Vegas 102 on the night of February 15-16.