Punahele Soriano says confidence coming back after 31-second KO at UFC Fight Night 249
LAS VEGAS – Punahele Soriano beat Uros Medic with a first-round knockout Saturday to open up the main card at UFC Fight Night 249 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Soriano, who picked up his second straight win and got his first finish in 18 months.
Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic
Result: Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:31
Updated records: Soriano (11-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) def. Uros Medic (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC)
Key stats: Soriano’s finish tied for the fastest of his career; he also had a 31-second knockout for Titan FC nearly seven years ago in his third pro fight.
Soriano on the fight’s key moment
Punahele Soriano def. Uros Medic, UFC Fight Night 249 (via UFC)
“A few people have told me that (I hit hard). I think I lost confidence in that a few times, but I’m getting it back. I didn’t realize till (my coach) told me after, but I hit him with a step-over, like we’ve been working out in camp. It’s just crazy when something you’ve worked over and over in camp happens. A lot of the times I leave the strategizing to (my coaches) and I just do what they tell me to do. God willing, it turns out good.”
Soriano on staying level
“(My) first (reaction after the KO), I was, ‘I’ve still got a job, still got a job, still got a job. Oh, I’m so happy.’ The confidence raises any time you get a win. I’ve learned that I’m trying not to get too high on it. I’m not going to let the wins get me too high, not let the losses get me too low, and just go back to the drawing board and continue to get better because I think that’s the main thing that happened in between this and the last fight. And I think it showed a little, hopefully.”
Soriano on what he wants next
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 11: (L-R) Punahele Soriano punches Uros Medic of Serbia in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“Any time you put in the work and it pays off, it’s always a great feeling. That’s the biggest indication that you’re doing the right work. But I feel like I just wasn’t tied down to the results this time. I knew regardless of whatever happened, backstage, I was visualizing getting hit with his uppercut. He knocked (his last opponent) out with the uppercut. Like, ‘Damn, that could be me tonight.’ A couple times, I visualized that. But I wasn’t being tied down to the results. I knew that regardless, I had my wife and my dog, my (upcoming) baby to go home and they’re going to love me regardless of the outcome.”
To hear more from Soriano, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.