UFC Fight Night 261: Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell Preview & Prediction
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Featherweights in desperate search of a win kick off the main card, as Lucas Almeida welcomes Michael Aswell to Rio.
Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell facts
What time are Lucas Almeida and Michael Aswell expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? Farmasi Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot main card
Charles Oliveira vs Mateusz Gamrot (Lightweight)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Montel Jackson (Bantamweight)
Vicente Luque vs Joel Alvarez (Welterweight)
Jhonata Diniz vs Mario Pinto (Heavyweight)
Ricardo Ramos vs Kaan Ofli (Featherweight)
Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 261: Oliveira vs Gamrot prelims
Jafel Filho vs Clayton Carpenter (Flyweight)
Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen (Heavyweight)
Beatriz Mesquita vs Irina Alekseeva (Women’s Bantamweight)
Lucas Rocha vs Stewart Nicoll (Flyweight)
Julia Polastri vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz (Women’s Strawweight)
Luan Lacerda vs Saimon Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Lucas Almeida: Almeida aims to bring his UFC record to 3-3 fighting in front of a home crowd
Despite coming up short to Daniel Zellhuber on the Contender Series in 2021, Lucas Almeida (15-4) would eventually earn a UFC call up, debuting against Michael Trizano just two fights later. However, despite planishing "The Lone Wolf" with a third round TKO, Almeida has fallen on tough times since. The Brazilian is just 1-3 since his debut, a run that included rough stoppage defeats to Andre Fili and Pat Sabatini. He enters this fight off the back of a loss to Danny Silva, a match up where he also missed weight.
Michael Aswell: Will Aswell score his first UFC win as the fighter in enemy territory?
The UFC did Michael Aswell (10-3) no favours in his UFC debut, matching "Texas Kid" up against the heavy-handed Bolaji Oki up a weight class at lightweight. Much like his opponent, Aswell arrived in the UFC after initially coming up short on the Contender Series, losing by decision to Bogdan Grad last August. However, while he also failed to get the nod against Oki, Aswell arguably exceeded expectations against the renowned power puncher, showcasing impressive toughness and heart despite being considerably undersized.
Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell prediction
Despite Almeida's edge in experience, Aswell looks to be a fairly safe pick here.
While he's come up short in his sole UFC fight to date, "Texas Kid" defied the odds up a weight class in a match up that seemed tailor made by the UFC for Bolaji Oki to score a highlight reel KO. As such, he figures to have a much more impressive performance at his natural weight class of 145 pounds.
By contrast, Almeida has looked pretty awful as of late. He's been pretty inactive since joining the UFC, and even when he has fought, he's come up short more often than not. Succumbing to a submission against Pat Sabatini is one thing, but losing by TKO to an aging Andre Fili is an extremely bad look. His performance against Danny Silva was more impressive, but he also missed weight and still ultimately walked away with another "L" on his record.
Much to the chagrin of the home crowd, the pick is for Aswell to lean on his toughness and keeping marching forward to land the bigger shots across three rounds.
Prediction: Michael Aswell to win by decision
