UFC Fight Night: Vitor Petrino vs Steven Asplund Preview & Prediction
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Big hitting heavyweights open the main card, with Steven Asplund poised to throw down against Vitor Petrino.
Vitor Petrino vs Steven Asplund facts
What time are Vitor Petrino and Steven Asplund expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 269
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos main card
Josh Emmett vs Kevin Vallejos (Featherweight)
Amanda Lemos vs Gillian Robertson (Women's Strawweight)
Ion Cutelaba vs Oumar Sy (Light Heavyweight)
Andre Fili vs Jose Miguel Delgado (Featherweight)
Marwan Rahiki vs Harry Hardwick (Featherweight)
Vitor Petrino vs Steven Asplund (Heavyweight)
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos prelims
Charles Johnson vs Bruno Gustavo da Silva (Flyweight)
Brad Tavares vs Eryk Anders (Middleweight)
Chris Curtis vs Myktybek Orolbai (Welterweight)
Bolaji Oki vs Manoel Sousa (Lightweight)
Luan Lacerda vs Hecher Sosa (Bantamweight)
Beatriz Mesquita vs Montserrat Rendon (Women's Bantamweight)
Elijah Smith vs You Su-young (Bantamweight)
Piera Rodriguez vs Sam Hughes (Women's Strawweight)
Vitor Petrino: Can the former light heavyweight go 3-0 in his new weight class?
Following a rough two fight skid down a weight class that saw him get finished in both fights and lose his undefeated record in the process, Vitor Petrino (12-2) looks to be returning to form after moving up to heavyweight in July of last year. The Brazilian bruiser debuted in his new weight class with a submission victory over Austen Lane, before following it up with one of the nastiest KOs over the year against Thomas Peterson in his second heavyweight tilt. At 28, Petrino looks to be in his prime, with his heavy hands and underrated submission game looking to pose a problem in the sparse landscape of the 265 pound division.
Steven Asplund: "Concrete" makes his sophomore appearance after a show stopping debut
Steven Asplund (7-1) pulled off one of the more impressive performances on the last season of the Contender Series, planishing Anthony Guarascio with a 16 second TKO to earn his shot at the big leagues. However, it was his performance against Sean Sharaf in his debut that truly grabbed the fans’ attention. “Concrete” threw 294 strikes across less than 10 minutes - 94% of which were significant - landing an absurd 154 of 276 significant strikes en route to a second round TKO stoppage. While Sharaf is undoubtedly low level, that’s absolutely insane volume for a heavyweight, with many touting Asplund as a future dark horse contender off the back of his jaw-dropping first appearance.
Vitor Petrino vs Steven Asplund prediction
Stepping in to replace Kennedy Nzechukwu, Asplund may have looked incredible against Sean Sharaf, but hang fire on declaring him the future of the heavyweight division.
Sharaf is one of the least impressive fighters at 265 pounds while “Concrete” also has a submission loss to Denzel Freeman less than two years ago; the same fighter who recently became the first man to get TKO’d by a middle finger at UFC 324. Sharaf also landed some bombs on Asplund in the early goings; "Concrete" is likely going to sleep if he absorbs shots like that from the heavy-handed Petrino.
However, that’s not to say that he doesn’t stand a chance of springing the upset against the former light heavyweight here. While it could conceivably be a ploy or an exaggeration, Petrino has made no secret of the fact that he’s been dealing with a significant injury to his right hand throughout his camp for Asplund, potentially robbing the Brazilian of one of his most potent weapons against a fighter who threw just under 300 strikes in two rounds last time out.
However, it's "Icao's" edge in the grappling that should sway this one. If it comes down to a gritty slugfest contested solely on the feet, there's a strong chance that Asplund walks away with the "W." Unfortunately, the manner of his loss to Freeman makes me think that Petrino is going to topple him over with relative ease the moment he doesn't like the striking exchanges, before transitioning to a dominant position and locking up a submission.
Prediction: Vitor Petrino to win by submission
