In a middleweight bout on Saturday’s main card, Punahele Soriano and Dusko Todorovic meet at UFC on ABC 1 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event is also known as UFC Fight Island 7. The prelims kick off at noon ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.
Soriano (7-0) checks into this battle of unbeatens standing two inches shorter than Todorovic (10-0), while also having a 1.5-inch reach disadvantage. He’ll try to make it up by going to the takedown early and often, although Todorovic does have three submission wins, so Soriano will have to be careful.
Todorovic made his UFC debut Oct. 3, 2020, against Dequan Townsend, dusting his counterpart in Round 2 at the 3:15 mark by way of KO/TKO. In 10 career professional bouts, Todorovic has finished inside the distance on nine occasions, winning six times via KO/TKO and three by way of submission.
Soriano – a.k.a. “Puna” – has just one fight under his belt at the UFC level, too. He made quick work of Oskar Piechota at UFC 245, winning in Round 1 by KO/TKO. Like Todorovic, just one of Soriano’s pro bouts ended up going the distance. He’s won four times by KO/TKO with two wins via submission, both by rear-naked choke.
This event will be broadcast on network television for the first time since a FOX broadcast in December 2018. It will also be the first time a limited number of fans can attend since UFC 248. The UFC is expecting around 2,000 fans, or less than 10 percent capacity.
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Soriano vs. Todorovic: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 2:16 p.m. ET.
TODOROVIC (-160) is a moderate favorite in this one, and a good bet to take care of the slightly lesser experienced Soriano (+135). Bet the Russian fighter on the 2-way line and feel pretty confident about it.
Another good bet, although slightly more expensive than I like to wager, is NO (-200): “WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE?” In 17 combined fights, these two combatants have managed to go the distance just twice. This one is likely to end by way or submission or KO/TKO. The better bet is probably the KO/TKO/DQ (-135). If you do not bet a specific fighter, it’s a pretty good value. I like TODOROVIC BY KO/TKO or DQ (+225) on the 7-way line where you can more than double up your initial wager.
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