"That was Steven Asplund versus Sean Sharaf, which saw Asplund making his UFC debut after winning on the Contender Series earlier this year. While it wasn't always pretty in a technical sense, it was violent, bloody, and all action. A jab from Asplund in the opening round opened up a nasty cut on Sharaf, but a well-placed one in a sense: right between the eyes, bloody but not completely obscuring his vision, and not bad enough for the cageside physician to stop the bout."
"Instead, the fight carried on into the second round, where both Sharaf, looking for his first UFC victory after losing his own debut in 2024, and Asplund had their moments. The cardio of Asplund was the difference-maker, however: the man who had once weighed over 500 pounds had plenty in the tank and was able to wear down Sharaf, hemming him in more than once, winging lefts, rights, and uppercuts."
UFC Vegas 112 served as ESPN's final UFC broadcast prior to the promotion's planned move to Paramount+ in 2026. Steven Asplund debuted in the heavyweight division after winning on the Contender Series and engaged Sean Sharaf in a bloody, action-packed fight that earned Fight of the Night. An opening jab from Asplund split Sharaf between the eyes but did not prompt a doctor stoppage. The contest continued into round two, where Asplund's superior cardio and sustained strikes wore Sharaf down until the referee stopped the bout standing. Asplund received a $50,000 bonus. Performance bonuses went to Manel Kape and Kevin Vallejos.
Read at Cageside Press
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