Athletes
Punahele Soriano Found His Confidence
Welterweight Hopes To Carry The Momentum He Gained In 2024 Into His First Fight Of The Year Against Uroš Medić
Punahele Soriano put on a clinic in his welterweight debut against Miguel Baeza last June. In his unanimous decision victory over “Caramel Thunder,” Soriano landed 136 significant ground strikes, the most landed in a bout in UFC history. He also landed 184 total strikes in round three alone, the most landed in a round in promotional history.
The dominant win was exactly what the 32-year-old needed to get back on track after dropping back-to-back contests to Roman Kopylov and Dustin Stoltzfus. And after spending his career at middleweight, it also showed the strength and power “Puna” was now bringing to the 170-pound division. The victory boosted Soriano’s confidence at a time when he needed it.
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“For the longest time, I kind of thought that maybe I didn't belong,” Soriano said. “Even if I said I thought I did. I always had a confidence problem, and I think I’m just continuing to grow and continuing to get better: physically, emotionally, everything.”
Often, we hear from athletes that reflecting on what brought them to the sport and reminding themselves of their love for the sport is what rejuvenates them and gives them a reset that they needed.
That was exactly the case for Soriano, who found his love training and fighting again.
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“I've just been trying to have fun with it again, kind of take it back to when I very first started and the absolute love of the game,” Soriano said. “Coming in every day happy, happy to train with my friends, happy to see my best friends every day, happy to be at the gym, happy to not be in the business office, excited to train.”
Punahele Soriano Scores Emphatic Second-Round KO | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez
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Punahele Soriano Scores Emphatic Second-Round KO | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez
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He gets a chance to continue his success in the welterweight division on the first card of the new year as he faces Uroš Medić, who last competed in April, defeating Tim Means in the first round.
Medić spent a handful of time in the lightweight division before returning to the welterweight division for his last three fights, going 2-1 since moving up. He only has two losses in his career, coming against Jalin Turner and Myktybek Orolbai.
He's slick, he's dangerous, but that's the kind of fight that excites me,” Soriano said. “It's a lot easier in training camp to get up and hit your runs or get up and do the things you don't want to do when you know you have a killer who's waiting for you on the other end. So, I'm excited for it. I look forward to facing him.”
This scrap, on paper, has all the makings of an exciting fight that could play out a lot on the feet. Medić has never been knocked out in his career, with eight of his 10 wins coming by way of knockout. On the flip side, Soriano has six of his 10 wins by knockout and two by submission. When he prepares for fights, he doesn’t look too much into his opponent and what they do well or what they do poorly; he is focused on what he brings to the table.
“I have the advantage and willingness to go in there and do what needs to be done,” Soriano said. “I don't really look at fights as I'm better, I'm worse. I just go in there and try to do my best and whatever happens, happens.”
MORE FIGHT NIGHT: Ponzinibbio Hungry | Moisés' Best | Dern Interview | Harris Interview | Ribas Interview | Bashi's Time | Medić Interview
Competing on the first card of 2025 leaves Soriano with many possibilities for how the year pans out. His main focus this year is to show the improvements he has made in the gym and continue to build on the momentum he gained in 2024.
“I'd like 2025 to be successful.” Soriano said. “I'd like people to see the growth and see the things I've been working on. You can work on a bunch of things in camp and maybe it doesn't come up. Even if you win, you don't get to see the improvements, so I'm just hoping people can see the value I bring.”
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!