MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Punahele Soriano will be in his first ever main card in the UFC on Sunday, January 15 (Manila time), when he takes on Russian fighter Roman Kopylov in a middleweight bout.
The 30-year-old Soriano has nine wins and two losses in his career. In the UFC, he is 3-2 with his most recent bout — a second-round knockout of Dalcha Lungiambula last July 2022 — named Performance of the Night.
“That was a bonus for me,” Soriano told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview. “I needed to get a win after losing two straight matches via decision. That certainly boosted my confidence heading into the match.”
“Being part of the main card makes me happy. It means my efforts are being noticed by the UFC,” he added.
Soriano is a second-generation Fil-Am. Like his parents, he was born in the United States.
“I think it was my grandparents who were born in the Philippines, but where I don’t know,” he explained when talking about his roots.
“We also had Filipino food at home. And in Hawaii, traces of Filipino culture can be found here and there. But as far as the language is concerned, I only know the bad words,” he said with a sheepish laugh.
Sunday's UFC Fight Night — which will be shown live on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGO TV streaming application at 8 a.m. — will be a dogfight.
Soriano’s opponent, Kopylov, is a tough one. The Russian sports a similar 9-2 slate. However, his first two UFC fights ended in losses. His fight in September 2022 saw him get his first win — a third-round knockout against Alessio di Chirico.
Kopylov’s style is a stand-up knockout artist. Eight of his opponents lay at his feet when all was said and done. But the Russian is also deadly with his feet. He is deadly with both his feet made evident when his spinning back heel kayoed Islam Gugov in the Absolute Championship Akhmat promotion. And Soriano is aware of it.
“The two losses taught me that I can go the distance,” said Soriano. Previously, all his wins were in the first or second round which confirmed his striking power. He is now fighting a foe with a similar style.
“All I can do is stick to my game plan and get ready to pivot when I need to. I hope to get a win because that will certainly help me move up the rankings.”