Four days after the UFC announced Vitor Petrino vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu for the March 14 card at the Meta APEX, the Brazilian heavyweight already has a new opponent as Steven Asplund stepped in as a replacement.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the switch to MMA Fighting on Tuesday. It’s still unclear what forced Nzechukwu off the card.
Petrino (13-2) has scored two wins since moving to heavyweight in 2025, tapping out Austen Lane with a rear-naked choke and then pocketing a $50,000 performance bonus for his third-round knockout over Thomas Petersen at UFC Rio.
Asplund (7-1) stopped Sean Sharaf via knockout in his UFC debut this past December after he scored with a 16-second knockout win over Anthony Guarascio, which earned him a contract at Dana White’s Contender Series just three months earlier.
UFC Vegas 114 is headlined by featherweight finishers Josh Emmett and Kevin Vallejos. Check the updated lineup below.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.
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