Steven Asplund shined in his octagon debut at UFC on ESPN 73 with a brutal and bloody beatdown of Sean Sharaf.
It was almost entirely one-way traffic for Asplund (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who cut Sharaf (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) open in the first round and spilled blood all over the canvas at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Although Sharaf hung tough and absorbed much damage and swung back, the pressure of Asplund was relentless, and the referee jumped in for a standing TKO at the 3:49 mark of Round 2.
Asplund set a new record for most significant strikes landed in a three-round UFC heavyweight fight at 170, snapping a previous record held by former champion Andrei Arlovski.
Check out the replay of the finish below (via X):
With the heavyweight division in need of as much fresh talent as possible, Asplund said he is looking to make noise after a successful first octagon appearance.
“I’m honored this is my debut and this is what the performance was – it’s just crazy,” Asplund told Michael Bisping in his post-fight interview. “I told everyone in this heavyweight division I’ve got a gas tank that’s going to make you f*cking sick. I used to be 525 pounds. I used to have a gas then, I have a gas tank now. I’m ready to shine.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 73 results include:
