Miguel Baeza and Punahele Soriano at the UFC Louisville weigh-in. Photo credit: Youtube/UFC
Hawaii’s Punahele Soriano moved up to welterweight at UFC Louisville on Saturday, welcoming Miguel Baeza into the Octagon.
Baeza, best known for his thrilling finishes and feud with Santiago Ponzinibbio, is sitting out the entire 2023 season, leaving the issue of ring rust unresolved.
Early in the bout at the KFC Yum! Center, Baeza backed Soriano against the fence and then attempted a guillotine, but Soriano broke free and was poised to do damage. Baeza survived and later landed a heel hook. Soriano hung in there, landing some hard strikes from a seated position, but Baeza still had his foot. More hard strikes from Soriano were followed by a roll, with Miguel grabbing the leg. He went for a kneebar this time, but Soriano survived and tried to get Baeza to his feet, but the horn sounded.
A crazy first round, with Soriano clearly showing he still has power despite losing 15 pounds. The second round started with a front kick to the body from Baeza. Soriano fought back with a takedown and nearly took the back as Baeza rolled. Soriano ripped through the body and landed a few hammer fists to the head. Baeza closed his guard and accepted the position for the time being. Soriano was busy on top, with Baeza going for an arm bar. The arm bar was unsuccessful, and Soriano went on the offensive, landing bombs until Baeza was down on his knees in desperation.
Punahele Soriano was able to control the fight from the three-quarter position, was unable to take the back, and attacked with short punches, but was unable to take Baeza down.
Miguel Baeza needed to change his attack in the third round, but Punahele Soriano backed him up against the fence and took him down. The Hawaiian outgunned Baeza and the referee looked ready to hand the decision over. Baeza took to his knees and managed to hang on. Meanwhile, Soriano landed a flurry of punches on Baeza’s side and the two continued to grapple. Soriano was slowing down, while Baeza looked exhausted.
The bout was never close, but the outcome was never in doubt, with Soriano winning a lopsided decision to open the main card at UFC Louisville.
Official result: Punahele Soriano defeats Miguel Baeza by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
