UFC Fight Night: Gaston Bolanos vs Michael Aswell Jr. Preview & Prediction
Michael Aswell makes his fourth appearance in the promotion in just over a year, taking on Bellator veteran, Gaston Bolanos.
Gaston Bolanos vs Michael Aswell Jr. facts
What time are Gaston Bolanos and Michael Aswell Jr. expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 279
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi main card
Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi (Flyweight)
Ion Cutelaba vs Navajo Stirling (Light Heavyweight)
Hyder Amil vs Christian Rodriguez (Featherweight)
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs Murtazali Magomedov (Featherweight)
Andre Fili vs Vinicius Oliveira (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi prelims
Andre Lima vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)
Beatriz Mesquita vs Melissa Mullins (Women's Bantamweight)
Allan Nascimento vs Mitch Raposo (Flyweight)
Gaston Bolanos vs Michael Aswell Jr. (Featherweight)
Leon Shahbazyan vs Levan Chokheli (Welterweight)
Karol Rosa vs Luana Santos (Women's Bantamweight)
Shane Collins vs Otari Tanzilovi (Featherweight)
Gaston Bolanos: Can "The Dreamkiller" cash in as a heavy underdog?
Standing at 2-2 in the promotion since making the jump from Bellator back in 2023, Gaston Bolanos (8-5) makes his first appearance in over a year. A former kickboxer best known for an assortment of highlight reel spinning KOs, "The Dreamkiller" has had mixed success under the UFC banner, alternating decision victories over Aaron Phillips and Cortavious Romious with stoppage losses to Marcus McGhee and Quang Le. The Peruvian has a well-rounded game, but doesn't excel in any one area of the sport. Furthermore, his finishing ability in kickboxing hasn't translated to great success in MMA; Bolanos' last finish came more than four years ago.
Michael Aswell Jr.: "The Texas Kid" returns with a point to prove
Still rapidly improving with a considerable amount of experience for a 25 year old fighter, Michael Aswell Jr. (11-4) has impressed throughout his UFC tenure despite his record standing at just 1-2 after three fights. "The Texas Kid" acquitted himself admirably in his short notice debut, giving the heavy handed Bolaji Oki all he could handle up a weight class despite losing the decision. He followed that up with a demolition job over Lucas Almeida in his sophomore bow, before dropping a hard fought decision to Luke Riley on the London card in March. The 4 oz. Fight Club representative is a solid boxer who likes to try and drag his opponents into a brawl; Aswell is more than willing to take a shot in order to land two of his own.
Gaston Bolanos vs Michael Aswell Jr. prediction
Aswell looks to be good value for his status as a considerable favorite here. He looked solid against an elite prospect in Luke Riley last time out, giving the Scouser a legitimate run for his money in a bout where many had him pegged to lose by KO. In addition to his ability to land well-timed takedowns, he lands at an extremely high clip and has an iron chin, going to war with Bolaji Oki up a weight class in his debut.
On the other side of the cage, Bolanos doesn’t look to have anything that’s going to cause the Texan a great deal of trouble. His only wins in the promotion have come over two fighters who are a combined 0-6 under the UFC banner and he’s been finished brutally every time he’s lost. Losing to Marcus McGhee is one thing, but getting submitted by Quang Le was a really bad look.
Moving up to featherweight could well favour Bolanos in terms of cardio and durability, but he was never the hardest hitter at 135 pounds. It’s hard to imagine him suddenly cracking Aswell with a fight ending shot up a weight class, particularly given the fact that the American has never been knocked out and “The Dreamkiller” hasn’t scored a finish since 2022.
Coming out with a point to prove, I believe the Texan is going to score his second UFC stoppage here, melting Bolanos up against the cage with a flurry of second round punches.
Prediction: Michael Aswell to win by TKO
