Steven Asplund

Picked with no hedging -- the analyst says there's no question about it and that the opponent simply doesn't do enough to win.

A fighter who does a few things and does them well. Good striker with a long jab, a good front kick that's rare to see from heavyweights, and solid volume. He carries a lean-back defensive habit, but the analyst notes the opponent mostly throws single punches, which that defense handles fine -- a sustained combination is the only real risk. Decent takedown defense and, notably for a heavyweight, real cardio in the sense of sustained output even while fatigued.

Reasons Petrino likely needs a finish to win, doubts he gets one, and expects Asplund's volume and cardio to take over as the fight goes deeper.

Asplund brings a lot offensively, with a good long jab, a good front kick, heavy volume and solid body work. His striking defense is more of a liability, since he tends to lean back rather than actually block, a dangerous habit against a hitter like Petrino. His takedown defense has also been a soft spot in his career, including in his lone loss. Where he has an edge is cardio, since the longer this fight goes, the more it should favor him as he continues to out-work his opponent.