Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Undefeated middleweight Punahele Soriano will face veteran Eric Spicely in March.
According to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin UFC middleweights Punahele Soriano and Eric Spicely have been scheduled to fight at UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus, OH on March 28th. Soriano gets the call a few months after a highlight reel finish over Oskar Piechota at UFC 245.
Soriano’s win over Piechota in December took his undefeated record to 7-0. The Hawaiian earned entry to the UFC with a decision victory over Jamie Pickett on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series last June.
Prior to joining the UFC the 27-year-old picked up wins in LFA, Titan FC and the PFL.
Spicely holds a 12-5 record after competing for the UFC since 2016. His first bouts inside the Octagon came on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23. After being signed to the UFC proper Spicely went 2-4 with wins over future light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos and Alessio Di Chirico.
The 33-year-old was cut after back-to-back-to-back stoppage losses to Antonio Carlos Junior, Gerald Meerschaert and Darren Stewart. After a pair of victories in the CES promotion Spicely was resigned to the UFC last year. In his return bout he dropped a decision to Deron Winn.
UFC on ESPN 8 is scheduled to feature a heavyweight clash in the main event slot, pitting Francis Ngannou against Jair Rozenstruik. Also on the card is a bantamweight bout between Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt, as well as Khalil Rountree’s apparent retirement fight versus Sam Alvey.