After seven years, the UFC on ESPN era came to an end Saturday night, December 13, with UFC Vegas 112. Ultimately, the card wasn’t the most memorable (and it didn’t help WWE’s TKO brothers throw their highly anticipated retirement party for John Cena).
However, standout moments were one thing, including Manel Kape’s first-round knockout of Brandon Royval in the main event and a successful UFC debut for former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov.
But to know the best story to come out of UFC Vegas 112, you need to dig deeper into the preliminary card. And you have to look at the story surrounding heavyweight Steven Asplund, who made his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 112, taking on Sean Sharaf.
If one were to glance at Asplund, some might be confused, bewildered, or downright condescending. He doesn’t look like an athlete and the man isn’t afraid to admit it.
Asplund once weighed 500 pounds, but over the course of his MMA journey, he managed to get down to around 250. And in doing so, he managed to build quite a bit of a reputation for himself. He went 6-0 as an amateur, winning a number of amateur heavyweight titles. Then, fighting primarily for the LFA, he began his professional career going 5-1.
This earned him the opportunity to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series in September, and he made the most of it. In one of the fastest results in the history of the series, he defeated Anthony Guarascio in just 16 seconds.
That’s what he had going for him before his official UFC debut against Sean Sharaf. Sharaf is no pushover, accumulating a 4-0 record alongside a heavyweight title in the Lights Out Xtreme Fighting promotion founded by former NFL player Shawne Merriman. He dropped his UFC debut against Junior Tafa last year.
It was expected to be one of those heavyweight battles where all it takes for either guy to throw a perfect punch is to end the fight by sending someone unconscious. And the two men fought like that from the start, throwing heavy leather at each other in the first few seconds.
Sharaf may have been looking to force his way to take control, but Asplund was solid with his counterattacks. And as Sharaf’s production slowed, Asplund seemed to have some kind of extra gas tank as a heavyweight. He continued to throw his flurries, hitting Sharaf around his face at one point.
Asplund went 170 for 292 in significant strikes, a UFC heavyweight record through three rounds. And he only needed 8 hours 49 minutes to do it. Because in the middle of the second round, after Sharaf barely survived a near-final attack at the end of the first, Asplund continued to pour until the referee stopped the fight.
But what dominated everything he did during it was the message Steven Asplund gave after the fight, telling the story of his being raised by his parents. His father, Kevin, has actually fought against Tim Johnson, Bobby Lashley, and Brett Rogers during his career. Steven Asplund’s nickname, “Concrete”, is the same one used by his father.
“They fought for everything they had,” Asplund said. “I built three boys taller than my father, with all due respect. [My father] I sat here, tried to train and fight, have a full-time job to support us. And to be able to make it to the UFC, to make my debut, to share it with my father, the most beautiful, wonderful man I know, please give it up for this man.
This led Steven Asplund to try to create the perfect life for his own family, including his wife Elizabeth and their young daughter.
He then sent a message to all those who feel that they are not worthy of life: they are and they should not give up.
“I was fat. I was bullied my whole life, man. I just want all the other little kids who were bullied or made to feel like they weren’t good enough or worthy, you are. You don’t have to be ashamed of your body. I look disgusting; I know that. And a lot of people have a lot of shit to say. Be confident!”
A legendary performance in more ways than one during your UFC debut (and a performance bonus to boot!). Hats off to Steven Asplund.
