Punahele Soriano continued his welterweight takeover earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) at UFC Vegas 101 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the former middleweight became the first fighter to stop Uros Medic with strikes by way of 31-second knockout (punches).
This main card opener was a clash that stood out to most. That’s because Soriano and Medic came into Saturday night with 20 combined professional wins and 14 finishes in the very first round. The writing was on the wall. We just needed to wait it out to see which welterweight would capture the finishing blow.
It didn’t take long for Soriano to start blitzing inside and trying to find a home for his heralded power. Medic is a very talented striker in his own right, but Soriano eventually clipped him with a clean overhand right. Medic crashed to the canvas and Soriano finished his performance off with nasty ground-and-pound. It took just 31 seconds.
Check out the final moments in the above video player.
Soriano, 32, is now 2-0 since moving to 170 pounds back in June 2024 when he defeated Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision. The Hawaiian welterweight may be sidelined through the first half of 2025 after announcing that his wife his pregnant, but when he returns it’s possible Soriano is just one more win away from a shot at the top 15.
For complete UFC Vegas 101 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.