American star claims impressive first win in the UFC and urges fans to back body positivity as he recalls his path from 525lbs to professional fighter
The Conor McGregor strut, Alex Pereira’s bow and arrow, Justin Gaethje flipping off the top of the cage and Nate Diaz’s double bicep pose are all iconic post-fight celebrations that will live long in the memory.
But larger-than-life character Steven Asplund may have topped the lot after grabbing his moobs to mark his successful UFC debut in Las Vegas last weekend at the Apex.
The act was more than a funny viral moment, instead it was about owning and embracing his own weight-loss journey that has seen drop more than 250lbs to realise his MMA dreams and become a professional fighter.
Appropriately, with skin in the game, having come through Dana White’s Contender Series after earning a contract with a 16-second KO, Asplund made an impressive first impression in the heavyweight ranks as he stopped a bloodied and beaten Sean Sharaf late in the second round.
The Minnesota native, 27, who tipped the scales at 525lbs in his early twenties but entered the Octagon at 261, said: “Sean is no slouch and I hope that we delivered for anybody that has been bullied in their life. You feel like you’re unworthy. You feel like you’re not worth a s**t.
“I love them all still, but I grew up with my best friends calling me ‘fat boy’, ‘titties’ and ‘fat a**’. I’m not tripping as it helped grow me to who I am.
“But there’s another thing when I go on Twitter and now I’m the face of a f****** joke.
“I struggled a lot this week with seeing people talk s***… it’s difficult. I want every little kid that can’t fight back, that can’t articulate how they feel, or don’t feel like they’re enough to know that you are worthy. You don’t have to be ashamed of yourself. You don’t have to be ashamed of your bodies.
“Just grow, get better and hard work pays off. That’s the name of my story. I’m not supposed to be here, but, f***, we’re here.”
To emphasise his transformation, ‘Concrete’ racked up 170 significant strikes against Sharaf, which is a new record for a three-round heavyweight bout.
Despite his appearance, Asplund showed he has the endurance that could put even some of the division’s elite under pressure.
He added: “I have always had a gas tank as a fat guy because I liked hoops, running up and down the basketball court.
“But the biggest improvement (since I dropped a lot of weight) is my speed and my cardio.
“I think that I’ll be able to outlast a lot of guys with that cardio. I’m not willing to accept position, I’m not willing to give up.
“I definitely think that has been a blessing, while my power has got stronger as I’ve lost weight.”
UP NEXT: UFC 324, Sunday, January 25, 2am. Paddy Pimblett will kick-off 2026 in an interim lightweight title clash with Justin Gaethje in Las Vegas.
MONEY MATCH: Derrick Lewis (11/5) has the power to halt Waldo Cortes-Acosta’s heavyweight rise. Odds and full UFC betting available at boylesports.com
FINAL SAY: “For me to be 33 and think that I’m going to win a world title in boxing is unrealistic. I reckon I could have a couple of big fights with a big name. I wouldn’t mind boxing an MMA fighter.” Heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall talks boxing with Tommy Fury on his YouTube channel.