Michael Aswell was back at featherweight at UFC Rio, moving back down to face Lucas Almeida after debuting on short notice at 155lbs.
Almeida was looking to bounce back from a split decision loss to Danny Silva in his last outing.
Aswell pressed off the opening bell, but had to contend with a sharp Almeida leg kick. Still, Aswell appeared to clip Almeida a couple of times with right hands; Almeida was circling, but moments later was clipped again, falling to the ground off another right hand. The Brazilian recovered, only to be clipped and drop again! Almeida got up, but looked dazed, and went back down moments later. Aswell got on, dropping a few elbows, and Almeida simply was not defending remotely well enough to stay in the fight.
Silencing the crowd, Michael Aswell, “The Texas Kid,” strolled into Rio de Janeiro and upset the Brazilian favorite, taking the fight to his opponent off the opening bell and never letting up. Aswell improved to 11-3 overall with his first UFC victory, and silenced the Brazilian crowd with his performance.
Speaking with Michael Bisping after the win, Aswell called it “the first of many,” then asked for a spot on the final UFC PPV of 2025 in Las Vegas, so he could fight alongside best pal Joshua Van.
Official Result: Michael Aswell Jr. def. Lucas Almeida by TKO, Round 1, 1:42
