Contender Series winner Steven Asplund, a former LFA heavyweight, made his promotional debut at UFC Vegas 112, facing off against Sean Sharaf.
Sharaf was looking for his first win inside the octagon after coming up short in his own debut last year. As for Asplund, his story – weighing over 500 pounds, and losing over 300 in his journey to the UFC – had taken off ahead of his DWCS appearance, putting a few extra eyeballs on his preliminary card debut.
Round one opened with heavy forward pressure from Sharaf, but Asplund remained composed and consistently got the better of the exchanges. Asplund mixed his offense well, working behind a sharp jab and adding leg kicks, while Sharaf swung big haymakers in an attempt to make an early statement. As the round progressed, Sharaf tried to settle down and pick his shots more carefully, though his pace appeared to slow.
Midway through the round, Asplund landed a stiff jab straight down the middle that split Sharaf badly, leaving him bloodied and absorbing significant damage. Sensing momentum, Asplund turned up the pressure late in the round, backing Sharaf up and forcing him into survival mode as the horn sounded.
Asplund carried that momentum into round two, immediately reestablishing his jab. Sharaf answered with wild, looping strikes that briefly pinned Asplund against the cage, but Asplund’s continued jab work quickly reopened the cut. During an increase in volume, Asplund landed a low kick that paused the action momentarily, though Sharaf took very little time to recover.
Soon after, Asplund connected with a right hand over the top that visibly wobbled Sharaf. From there, Asplund swarmed him with relentless output, driving him back to the cage and forcing Sharaf to fight for survival. Though Sharaf never hit the canvas, the sustained damage and unanswered strikes prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight.
Official Result: Steven Asplund def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches), Round 3, 3:49
