The second octagon appearance for [autotag]Puna Soriano[/autotag] is once again pushed back after his withdrawal from a planned bout with [autotag]Anthony Hernandez[/autotag] next month.
Soriano (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is out of his middleweight matchup against Hernandez (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on the UFC’s planned May 16 card, according to two people familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly. He will be replaced by [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC).
The reason behind Soriano’s withdrawal was not disclosed.
Holland, 27, will attempt to bounce back from a submission loss against Brendan Allen last October at UFC on ESPN 6. He’d won three consecutive bouts prior and is keen to return to the winning track.
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It won’t be easy against Hernandez, 26, who picked up his fist octagon triumph in August when he submitted Jun Yong Park at UFC on ESPN+ 15. “Fluffy” has finished his opponent in all but one of his career wins.
The UFC card on May 16 originally was scheduled to take place in San Diego. The coronavirus has caused California to suspended all combat sports events through May, and the UFC has since been making adjustments to its event schedule.
UFC 249, which is the promotion’s next card on April 18, reportedly will take place on tribal land at Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, Calif. It will not be sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission, and UFC president Dana White said the plan is to host the next two months of fight cards in the same location.
If the UFC succeeds in its plan, the May 16 card is likely to go down there.
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