Punahele Soriano
Punahele Michael Soriano[1] (born November 22, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
| Punahele Soriano | |
|---|---|
| Born | Punahele Michael Soriano[1] November 22, 1992 Wailua, Kauai County, Hawaii |
| Other names | Puna |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Middleweight |
| Reach | 72.0 in (183 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | O‘ahu, Hawaii |
| Team | Xtreme Couture |
| Rank | Brown belt in Judo[3] |
| Wrestling | NCAA Division III Wrestling[4] |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 12 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background Edit
As a senior at Kahuku High School in Laie, Hawaii, on the North Shore of Oahu, Soriano was the 171-pound state champion, after placing third in the state as a junior. In addition to being a high school state champion in wrestling, he was a high school state judo champion. He went on to wrestle Division-III at Wartburg College in Iowa, where he earned All-America honors at the 2014 NCAAs by placing seventh in the 197-pound bracket, in the process becoming the first qualifier from Hawaii.[5][4][6]
Soriano's interest in MMA started through friend and current UFC fighter Dan Ige, who invited Soriano to help train MMA fighters in wrestling.[7]
Mixed martial arts career Edit
Early career Edit
After making his professional debut in Hawaii on January 28, 2017, at X-1 World Events 45, and getting a first-round submission win, Soriano made his Middleweight and mainland debut on July 29, 2017, at PFL Everett against Jon Gover. He won the bout via first-round TKO.[8]
Soriano faced Rafael Celestino on April 6, 2019, at Titan FC 49. He won the bout via knockout in under a minute.[9]
After picking up a TKO win in just 45 seconds at V3 Fights 69 against James Horne, Soriano faced Jhonoven Pati on October 19, 2018, at LFA 52. He won the bout via a first-round rear-naked choke.[10]
Soriano was invited onto Dana White's Contender Series 17 on June 18, 2019, where he faced Jamie Pickett. He won the bout via unanimous decision, getting a UFC contract in the process and going past the first round for the first time in his MMA career.[11]
Ultimate Fighting Championship Edit
Soriano made his UFC debut against Oskar Piechota on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245.[12] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[13]
Soriano faced fellow undefeated DWCS alumni Duško Todorović on January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar. He won the bout, getting the TKO at the end of the first round.[14]
Soriano was scheduled to face Anthony Hernandez on June 26, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Volkov.[15] The pairing was previously scheduled to take place in May 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris, but Soriano pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.[16] In turn, Hernandez pulled out in late May due to a hand injury and was replaced by Brendan Allen, with the new matchup taking place a month later at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw.[17] Soriano lost the fight via unanimous decision.[18]
Soriano faced Nick Maximov on February 5, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 200.[19] He lost the fight via split decision.[20] 12 out of 16 media scores gave it to Maximov.[21]
Soriano faced Dalcha Lungiambula on July 16, 2022 at UFC on ABC 3.[22] He won the fight via knockout in the second round.[23] This win earned Soriano his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[24]
Soriano faced Roman Kopylov on January 14, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 217.[25] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round.[26]
Soriano was scheduled to face Sedriques Dumas on June 24, 2023 at UFC on ABC 5.[27] However, on June 15 it was announced that Soriano pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Cody Brundage.[28]
Soriano is scheduled to face Dustin Stoltzfuson December 2, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 233.[29]
Championships and accomplishments Edit
Mixed martial arts record Edit
| 12 matches | 9 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 9–3 | Roman Kopylov | TKO (body kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov | January 14, 2023 | 2 | 3:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Dalcha Lungiambula | KO (punches) | UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez | July 16, 2022 | 2 | 0:28 | Elmont, New York, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 8–2 | Nick Maximov | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland | February 5, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 8–1 | Brendan Allen | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw | July 24, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Duško Todorović | TKO (punches) | UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar | January 16, 2021 | 1 | 4:48 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 7–0 | Oskar Piechota | KO (punch) | UFC 245 | December 14, 2019 | 1 | 3:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Jamie Pickett | Decision (unanimous) | Dana White's Contender Series 17 | June 18, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jhonoven Pati | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 52 | October 19, 2018 | 1 | 3:36 | Belton, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | James Horne | TKO (punches) | V3 Fights 69 | June 16, 2018 | 1 | 0:45 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Rafael Celestino | KO (punches) | Titan FC 49 | April 6, 2018 | 1 | 0:31 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jon Gover | TKO (punches) | PFL Everett | July 29, 2017 | 1 | 2:36 | Everett, Washington, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Jon Ferrell | Submission (rear-naked choke) | X-1 World Events 45 | January 28, 2017 | 1 | 2:20 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ a b "Mixed martial arts show results" (PDF). July 24, 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
- ^ "Punahele Soriano | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ex-Wartburg All-American Soriano earns UFC contract". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com, JIM NELSON. "Wartburg's 'Puna' has learned to love the snow". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ "Punahele Soriano - Wrestling". Wartburg College Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ "DWCS: Meet the undefeated contract winner Punahele Soriano". FanSided. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2017-07-29). "PFL: Everett Results: Harrison vs. Rodriguez". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "Titan FC 49 Results: Soares Stuns and Submits Gomez, Wins Featherweight Title". Combat Press. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "LFA 52 Results & Highlights: Submissions Were the Order of the Night | MMAWeekly.com". 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ MMA, LowKick (2019-06-19). "Dana White's Contender Series 17 Results: Two Fighters Earn Contracts". LowKickMMA.com. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
- ^ "Twee nieuwe gevechten toegevoegd aan UFC 245 in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
- ^ Shillan, Keith (2019-12-14). "UFC 245 Results: Punahele Soriano Brutally Knocks Out Oskar Piechota in the First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-01-16). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Punahele Soriano Drops Dusko Todorovic Repeatedly, Remains Perfect". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ John Morgan and Nolan King (2021-03-18). "Anthony Hernandez vs. Punahele Soriano set for UFC Fight Night in June". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2020-04-09). "Kevin Holland replaces Puna Soriano, meets Anthony Hernandez on UFC's May 16 card". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ Mike Heck (2020-05-25). "With Anthony Hernandez out, Puna Soriano now meets Brendan Allen at UFC event on July 24". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-07-24). "UFC Vegas 32 Results: Brendan Allen's Body Work Key in Win Over Soriano". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-11-13). "Punahele Soriano and Nick Maximov Will Face off at UFC Event on Feb. 5". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-05). "UFC Vegas 47: Nick Maximov Takes Close Split Decision Against Punahele Soriano". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ "Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano :: UFC on ESPN+ 58 :: MMA Decisions". www.mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-06-01). "UFC Long Island Set to Air on ABC, Multiple Fights Announced for July 16 Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
- ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-07-16). "UFC Long Island: Punahele Soriano Knocks Out Former Teammate Dalcha Lungiambula". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ a b Kristen King (2022-07-16). "UFC Long Island post-fight bonuses: Matt Schnell's all-time comeback nets him $50,000". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
- ^ Bartłomiej Zubkiewicz (2022-11-18). "Punahele Soriano kontra Roman Kopylov na styczniowej gali UFC Vegas 67". mmarocks.pl. Retrieved 2022-11-18. (in Polish)
- ^ Val Dewar (2023-01-14). "UFC Vegas 67: Roman Kopylov Harnesses Body Shots to TKO Punahele Soriano". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
- ^ Arshad (2023-04-21). "Punahele Soriano vs Sedriques Dumas Set for UFC Jacksonville". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ Damon Martin (2023-06-15). "Punahele Soriano out; Cody Brundage steps in to face Sedriques Dumas at UFC Jacksonville". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ Heck, Mike (2023-09-20). "Punahele Soriano vs. Dustin Stoltzfus set for Dec. 2 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ "Punahele Soriano". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-06-28.