FBThe Fight Brief
HeavyweightPrelims · 5:00 PM ET

Steven Asplund vs. Guilherme Pat

UFC Fight Night · August 8, 2026 · Meta Apex

OddsSteven Asplund -264·Guilherme Pat +217(DraftKings)

What kind of fight is this?Heavyweight slugfestFinish likelihood: High

Two knockout artists with zero combined takedowns is not a recipe for the judges' scorecards. Asplund's smothering volume should force Pat into more exchanges than he wants, and Pat's low output has already cost him once against Petersen. But the Brazilian's length and accuracy make him dangerous every time Asplund charges in behind that high-risk pressure. Take Asplund to break him with pace somewhere in the middle rounds — while accepting he could get countered clean at any moment.

The Matchup

Steven Asplund
Volume slugger
KO powerPacePressure
GrapplingStriking
Guilherme Pat
Rangy kickboxer
ReachCountersKO power
GrapplingStriking

Both heavyweights are coming off the first losses of their careers, and both losses came the same way — getting outpointed over three rounds. Stylistically this is pure kickboxing: neither man has attempted a single UFC takedown, so it comes down to Asplund's overwhelming volume against Pat's reach and 61 percent accuracy. The pace differential is massive — Asplund throws nearly four times Pat's output — but he also absorbs a ton, and Pat is the sharper single-shot counter puncher. Somebody's chin gets a full diagnostic here.

Tale of the Tape

Steven AsplundGuilherme Pat
7-2Record6-1
28Age32
6'5"Height6'6"
78"Reach81"
OrthodoxStanceOrthodox
United StatesCountryBrazil
McCune's Martial ArtsTeamLotus Club

The Numbers

Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.

Steven AsplundGuilherme Pat
10.05Sig. strikes landed / min (volume)2.7
51%Striking accuracy (precision)61%
6.64Sig. strikes absorbed / min (lower is better)2.03
50%Striking defense (strikes avoided)51%
0Takedowns / 15 min (wrestling offense)0
0%Takedown accuracy0%
100%Takedown defense100%
0Submission attempts / 15 min0

Steven Asplund

Concrete

Steven Asplund is a 28-year-old Minnesota heavyweight who punched his way into the UFC with a 16-second demolition on Dana White's Contender Series in 2025. Six of his seven wins are knockouts, and his output is absurd for the division — over 10 significant strikes landed per minute, roughly triple a normal heavyweight's pace. He battered Sean Sharaf in his official debut before dropping a decision to former light heavyweight prospect Vitor Petrino in March 2026, a fight where he still landed his share. Nicknamed Concrete, he fights like a man trying to finish the night early — for better or worse.

How they win
6 KO/TKO0 SUB1 DEC
Last 3 fights
  • LVitor Petrino · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos · March 14, 2026
  • WSean Sharaf · TKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape · December 13, 2025
  • WAnthony Guarascio · TKO (elbows)Dana White's Contender Series 2025 · September 9, 2025

Guilherme Pat

Kong

Guilherme Pat is a towering Brazilian heavyweight from São Paulo's Lotus Club with an 81-inch reach and the nickname Kong. He built his 6-1 record on the Brazilian circuit and in the LFA, where four of his wins came by knockout, including an 18-second head-kick blitz in 2023. In the UFC he's shown a more measured, low-output style — a decision win over Allen Frye Jr. in his debut, then a majority-decision loss to wrestler Thomas Petersen in April 2026. He's economical and accurate, but at some point the big Brazilian needs to let Kong off the leash.

How they win
4 KO/TKO0 SUB2 DEC
Last 3 fights
  • LThomas Petersen · Decision (majority)UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Duncan · April 4, 2026
  • WAllen Frye Jr. · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape · December 13, 2025
  • WMauricio Boni Cogo Queiroz · TKO (punches)LFA 191 · August 30, 2024