Steven Asplund is treating his first UFC defeat as the next step in a bigger journey, not a setback that changes the direction of his career. After turning pro in 2023, racing to a 5-1 record and earning a UFC contract with a 16-second knockout of Anthony Guarascio on Dana White’s Contender Series, Asplund said he is ready to bounce back.
That response fits the way he has approached the rest of his transformation. Asplund’s rise to the UFC has come alongside a major life change that included losing nearly 300 pounds, a process he described as beginning with a decision to choose himself. For him, the breakthrough did not start in the cage. It started with a commitment to stop waiting and start changing immediately.
“It’s making an agreement with yourself that you’re gonna start, and you can’t do that ‘I start tomorrow’ s***. It’s gotta be today. It has to be right now,” Asplund said.
He also pointed to small but important changes that helped drive the bigger turnaround. Cutting out soda and sweets was part of the process, with sugar identified as one of the biggest crutches he had to remove from his life.
How Asplund got here
Before reaching the UFC, Asplund built momentum quickly. He had four wins under the LFA banner before facing Guarascio on Dana White’s Contender Series. The performance lasted just 16 seconds, but it was enough to secure a UFC contract and push his career to a new level in a very short time.
That speed is part of what makes his story stand out. Asplund said he is coming up on his five-year anniversary for fighting and has only been a professional for coming up on three years. Even by UFC standards, that is a rapid climb.
Now the focus shifts to what comes after a first loss. Asplund said he made another agreement with himself and is ready to move forward, calling the experience surreal while keeping his eyes on the bigger picture. For a fighter who has already changed nearly everything about his life, the next chapter starts with the same approach that got him this far: commit, adjust and keep going.
