Michael Aswell Jr. Edges Joo Sang Yoo by Split Decision at UFC 331
Michael Aswell Jr. left Crypto.com Arena with a split decision and a roster spot that had been in doubt.
The Texas featherweight beat Joo Sang Yoo on Saturday at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.
The cards read 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28. Two judges gave the 15 minutes to Aswell. One gave it to Yoo.
Joe Rogan said he was surprised it was split. He told Aswell it looked like the best performance of his UFC career and the most intelligent fight he had seen from him.
Aswell came in as an underdog off two straight losses. He needed the win.
“Yeah, thank you so much, Joe,” Aswell said. “It’s an honor to talk to you. My girlfriend’s a huge fan.”
He pointed up first.
“I just want to give a shout out to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said. “Without him, none of this is possible.”
Then he explained why the night mattered.
“But you’re right, you know, in the UFC, you’re never safe,” Aswell said. “I just signed a new contract, but that never means anything. You know, I knew I had to come get this win, coming off two losses, and fighting Korean zombie junior, that’s not an easy task, but I’m glad to get it done.”
Yoo fights as Zombie Jr. The South Korean entered 9-1 after a first-round knockout of Jeka Saragih and a TKO loss to Daniel Santos at UFC 320.
Aswell stayed on the feet and outlanded him. Yoo took him down in the third and held position without doing much damage. Aswell stood late and heard two cards go his way.
The win moved Aswell to 12-5 overall. It snapped losses to Luke Riley in March and Gaston Bolanos in June.
His last UFC win had been a first-round TKO of Lucas Almeida in October 2025. Saturday was different. It was volume, range, and a plan that lasted all three rounds.
He credited Four Ounce Fight Club, Coach Chico, Coach Danny, and his teammates. He also pointed to family still on the card.
“You know, my brother Josh Vance fighting tonight, and still, you know, it’s going down tonight,” Aswell said. “I’m just so glad to get this night started off for us.”
Then he asked Rogan for one more thing.
“And Joe, if you could help me out, and try to get me back into this arena so I can watch my brother fight, that’d be a blessing.”
Rogan told him they would get him back in. The Texas Kid had already done the hard part.
Yoo fell to 9-2. The prospect label does not disappear after one close loss, but the volume gap was real.
Aswell is 25 and turns 26 next week. A split decision over a hyped import does not rewrite the 145-pound rankings. It does keep him employed and gives the UFC a reason to book him again.
He said a new contract never means anything. On Saturday, the scorecards did.