Punahele Soriano

ANALYSIS
Soriano lost back-to-back fights in 2023 but has since bounced back with a three-fight winning streak. He holds a big volume striking edge over Brahimaj, though Brahimaj typically does his best work in the grappling department. Soriano's 40 percent takedown defense looks poor on the surface, but he's made improvements in that area of late, as he hasn't been taken down a single time over his latest winning streak.

ANALYSIS
Soriano employed the wrestling-heavy game plan that was expected from him and ended up with an easy victory as a result. He landed 4-of-11 takedown attempts, good for a whopping 12:35 worth of control time. The total strike count was 163-34 in Puna's favor, although only 39 of those were deemed "significant." Soriano has looked like a different guy since dropping down to welterweight in June 2024. He's 3-0 at 170 pounds, and it's not surprising his grappling advances are more much effective at the smaller weight class.

ANALYSIS
Soriano will look to remain perfect at welterweight, boasting a 2-0 record since making the switch from middleweight. He'll face Veretennikov in UFC 320, who's coming off his first UFC victory and has a 1-2 record in UFC.

ANALYSIS
It's not a stretch to say that Soriano's move from middleweight to welterweight has saved his career. He lost four of five at 185 pounds from July 2021 to December 2023 before moving down to 170 pounds last June. He dominated Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision that evening before dispatching Medic instantly here with one huge right hand. Soriano turned 32 years of age in November, so it remains to be seen how real this recent stretch is, but it's undoubtedly extended the run of a guy that appeared to be just about out of time.

ANALYSIS
Despite prevailing victorious over Miguel Baeza during his most recent bout, Soriano remains 2-4 over his last six fights. If he's unable to put forth a strong showing against Medic, who has won three of his last four, Soriano's future with the UFC may be in jeopardy.