Tag: Punahele Soriano

Punahele Soriano contemplated retirement prior to UFC on ESPN 57 win: ‘I felt so much pressure’

Punahele Soriano reflects on his welterweight debut win over Miguel Baeza at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 57.

Although [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] made it look easy on Saturday night, it was everything but an easy road to get to the octagon.

Soriano (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) had a dominant and successful welterweight debut at UFC on ESPN 57, defeating Baeza (10-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in a clean, unanimous decision win. After the fight, Soriano opened up about the struggled he had to deal with in preparation.

“The whole camp, I felt so much pressure,” Soriano told the UFC after the fight. “Every day, I was contemplating whether I could still do this, whether if this is for me and if I could deal with this. Fight week, for whatever reason, I had the ultimate confidence. I was supremely confident, no added pressure and I believed in myself.”

On a two-fight skid and 1-4 in his past five outings, the doubts crept back the day of the fight. Backstage, warming up for his bout, Soriano had to battle those same demons.

“I said this a few times, but I was contemplating retirement backstage and thanks to my man Mike at the (UFC Performance Institute), I just let go of that balloon and started thinking about something I cared about – like my wife and my dogs, anything that I loved,” Soriano said. “(I was) ultimately reminding myself that I love this sport and love what I do.”

In the end, Soriano is happy with the way things turned out. He’s proud of his performance and that he got to show his wrestling skills.

“I thought I was Khabib,” Soriano said. “I thought I had a big afro on my head, and I was going to come out speaking Dagestan or whatever they speak. I wasn’t sure who I was anymore.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 57.

UFC on ESPN 57 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Nassourdine Imavov nets $6k for main event

UFC on ESPN 57 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 57 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 57 took place at the KFC Yum! Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 57 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Dominick Reyes[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Raul Rosas Jr.[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ricky Turcios[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charlie Radtke[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jesse Butler[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Denise Gomes[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Eduarda Moura[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Puja Tomar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,570; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $57,000 while title challengers get $57,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-57 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,451,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,188,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 57.

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ESPN 57

Miguel Baeza and Punahele Soriano are two welterweights in a need of a victory. Who will get the job done at UFC on ESPN 57 in Louisville?

[autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag] and [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC on ESPN 57 from KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.  

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57 preview

Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) entered the UFC on a tear after his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance. His first three fights resulted in second-round stoppage victories over Hector Aldana, Matt Brown and Takashi Sato. However, he has since struggled. Baeza is currently on a three-fight skid, including back-to-back stoppage losses to bring his UFC run to .500. … Soriano (9-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) will be looking to get back to that .500 mark. Soriano also came out of the gates hot after his DWCS signning. He stopped Oskar Piechota and Dusko Todorovic in the first round, but has since gone 1-4 over his last five.

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57 expert pick, prediction

Continuing their anti-Joe Silva card formatting trend, the UFC matchmakers not-so-surprisingly open the card with a welterweight bout between Soriano and Baeza.

In Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby’s defense, these two are both exciting fighters who could produce a potential welterweight war.

Baeza, who is coming off north of a two-year layoff, will be attempting to stop the bleeding of a three-fight losing skid opposite southpaw Soriano.

Although Baeza officially stands 1-0 opposite UFC-level southpaws (Takashi Sato), he’s never faced one as imposing and dangerous as “Puna.”

A former middleweight fighter and collegiate wrestler, Soriano has largely made his money by punishing opponents with his crushing power on the feet. The Hawaiian has underperformed in his recent string of losses, so expect Soriano to come out with something to prove this Saturday.

Despite my admitted bias for Soriano and his team at Xtreme Couture, I believe that Baeza – who is the deserved favorite – is a dangerous fighter to back as a favorite due to his suspect chin. For that reason, I’ll side with Soriano to score a semi-surprising knockout via a check right hook in Round 2.

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the fighter from Florida, listing Baeza (-184) and Soriano (+142) via FanDuel.

Miguel Baeza vs. Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57 start time, how to watch

As the main card opening bout, Baeza and Soriano are expected to make their walks to the octagon at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 57.

UFC on ESPN 52 post-event facts: Clay Guida sets dubious record with 18th octagon loss

Check out all the facts from UFC on ESPN 52, which saw a record two slam KOs and Clay Guida tying the UFC record for most losses.

The UFC’s third-to-last event of 2023 went down as one of the best of the year. UFC on ESPN 52 delivered with nine stoppages in 12 fights.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) capped off the night with the quickest finish of the bunch. He dropped and stopped [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) just 64 seconds into their high-stakes lightweight headliner, solidifying himself as a top contender.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured a number of historic feats, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title money

UFC on ESPN 52 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

AUSTIN, Texas – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $225,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 52 took place at Moody Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 52 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Bellato[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,520; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $52,000 while title challengers get $52,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-52 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,689,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,208,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Dustin Stoltzfus def. Punahele Soriano at UFC on ESPN 52: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Dustin Stoltzfus’ second-round submission win over Punahele Soriano at UFC on ESPN 52 in Austin, Texas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]’ second-round submission win over [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for January: Jamahal Hill batters Glover Teixeira in Brazil

Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira went to war at UFC 283 in MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for January.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from January 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for January.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees

UFC Fight Night 217 post-event facts: Sean Strickland joins exclusive three-division club

Sean Strickland accomplished something only two other men in history have done with his win at UFC Fight Night 217.

The UFC kicked off another busy year of action Saturday with UFC Fight Night 217. It was the first of an expected 42 events from the promotion in 2023, and it went down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Although six fights on the card ended in a stoppage, the main event went the distance as [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) managed to outwork and outpoint [autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to win a unanimous decision on short notice in the light heavyweight headliner.

Fore more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $14.5 million

UFC Fight Night 217 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $137,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 217 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 217 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]: $16,000
[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000
[autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
[autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
[autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Mateus Mendonca[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Nick Fiore[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Allan Nascimento[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nick Aguirre[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Charles Johnson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2177 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2171 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC Fight Night 217: Strickland vs. Imavov” – $137,000

Year-to-date total: $137,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,656,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 217.

UFC Fight Night 217: Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 217 odds and lines between Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov, with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a middleweight bout on the main card, Punahele Soriano and Roman Kopylov meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 217 – also known as UFC Vegas 67 – at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

Soriano halted a 2-bout losing streak with a 2nd-round KO/TKO win over Dalcha Lungiambula last time out in mid-July. In his 2 losses at the UFC level, he has lost via points. In his 3 victories, each have come with early round KO/TKO wins.

Kopylov has 3 fights under his belt since arriving at the UFC level, and he lost the first 2. He tapped out in a loss to Karl Roberson in his debut, before Albert Duraev topped him via unanimous-decision at UFC 267. He bounced back with a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Alessio Di Chirico last time out in early September.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Soriano -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Kopylov +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over +120 | Under -165)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +140 | No -200)

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UFC Fight Night 217: Soriano vs. Kopylov picks and predictions

Records: Soriano (9-2-0) | Kopylov (9-2-0)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

This is an interesting fight between 2 combatants with just 1 victory in the past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV (+125) is worth a look as the minor underdog in this bout, as most of the numbers are fairly close. However, in this battle of southpaws, Kopylov holds a 2.5-inch reach advantage, and that will help him keep Soriano at a distance, picking and choosing his times to go in for the big shots.

Neither of these fighters are particularly good in the ground game, as Kopylov has never won in 11 pro bouts via submission, and Soriano has no submission wins since arriving at the UFC level.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES: FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE (+135) is a strong play at plus-money. While yes, Kopylov has only ended up going the distance once in his 3 fights at the UFC level, and twice in his 11 career pro bouts overall. So, there is some risk.

However, Soriano has needed the judges to determine a winner in 2 of his past 3 outings.

KOPYLOV BY POINTS (+370) is also worth a look for method of victory, as is OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (+120) at plus-money, if you would like a little wiggle room and do not want to play the distance prop.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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