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We’re back with coverage of UFC Vegas 114 as we turn attention towards the Featured Prelim bout, going down within the Heavyweight Division. No. 15-ranked Vitor Petrino of Brazil will tackle Minnesota’s Steven Asplund in a fight you will not wish to miss! Check our UFC odds series for the Petrino-Asplund prediction and pick.
Vitor Petrino (13-2) has gone 6-2 since joining the UFC roster in 2023. After suffering back-to-back losses for the primary time in his profession, Petrino bounced back with consecutive finishes over Austen Lane and Thomas Petersen hoping for his third-straight because the betting favorite. Petrino stands 6-foot-2 with a 77.5-inch reach.
Steven Asplund (7-1) makes his second UFC appearance following a successful debut over Sean Sharaf in a ‘Fight of the Night’ effort from each men. Asplund’s won his last 4 consecutive fights all inside the space and can hope to leap into the rankings with a win here. He stands 6-foot-5 with a 78-inch reach.
UFC Vegas 114 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 114 Odds: Vitor Petrino-Steven Asplund Odds
Vitor Petrino: -250
Steven Asplund: +205
Over 1.5 rounds: -160
Under 1.5 rounds: +124
Why Vitor Petrino Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Thomas Petersen – KO (left hook, R3)
- Last 5: 3-2
- Finishes: 8 KO/TKO, 2 SUB
Vitor Petrino put an exclamation point on his last win when knocking out Thomas Petersen with an uppercut and hook to earn a performance bonus. It’s his second-straight win following back-to-back losses as he’s clearly gone back into his training camp and ironed some things out within the striking. His grappling will even be his biggest advantage when coping with heavyweights not as mobile as he’s, however it’s a promising to see his striking evolving as he was in a position to hang in with an lively boxer like Petersen while dominating many of the exchanges.
During this bout, Petrino might be at a surprising size drawback, however it hasn’t deterred him from clinching together with his opponent and testing the wrestling previously. Asplund wasn’t taken down during his last fight and while he could also be a tricky opponent to bring down cleanly, Petrino boasts a few of the higher grappling within the division. If he’s in a position to truly test Asplund on the bottom, we must always quickly see a big discrepancy in skill level between the 2.
Cardio has been a giant query throughout Petrino’s early UFC run, but we have seen him make a concerted effort to each improve his stamina in training camp and conserve his gas tank throughout a fight. Endurance might be the important thing to his success on this particular matchup against a slower-moving opponent who hasn’t really been tested in deep UFC waters.
Why Steven Asplund Will Win
- Last Fight: (W) Sean Sharaf – TKO (punches, R2)
- Last 5: 4-1
- Finishes: 6 KO/TKO
Steven Asplund comes into this bout riding four-straight knockouts and having all the arrogance on the earth in his knockout capabilities. He finished his Contender Series audition with a violent knockout and through his UFC debut, forced a standing knockout against Sean Sharaf as be overwhelmed him with boxing combos. Expect Asplund to shut the space confidently as his 6-foot-5 frame should make him an imposing force when squaring up against Petrino.
Asplund does job of keeping his head moving and making opponents guess with constant striking feints. His ability to attract opponents towards him after which counter during their entries is where he’s in a position to catch them cleanly on the chin, so expect Asplund to try to force Petrino to succeed in throughout this fight.
During his debut, Asplund averaged a ridiculous 19.93 significant strikes per minute and totaled 172 total strikes on Sharaf just around 4 minutes into the second round. If he’s in a position to put together that very same form of ridiculous pressure on Petrino, do not be surprised if Asplund is in a position to brawl his way towards a win while disregarding the grappling or striking coming back his way.
Final Vitor Petrino-Steven Asplund Prediction & Pick
This must be a frantic fight for so long as it lasts and if his previous bout is any indication of what is to return, Steven Asplund must be wasting no time in closing the space and immediately engaging Petrino on the feet. While Petrino has been rather more willing to face and strike throughout his recent bouts, his biggest advantage will likely are available the submission grappling if he’s in a position to force Asplund to the bottom for the primary time.
Still, even when Petrino is in a position to take his opponent down, it’ll be interesting to see how much damage he absorbs within the means of attempting to achieve this. Still, he’s the much more athletic fighter and control where this fight takes place if he’s in a position to land a takedown, so we’ll roll with him to defend his rating in what must be a tense fight throughout.
Final Vitor Petrino-Steven Asplund Prediction & Pick: Vitor Petrino (-250); OVER 1.5 Rounds (-160)