Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight scrappers Punahele Soriano and Nick Maximov will throw down this weekend (Sat., Feb. 5, 2022) at UFC Vegas 47 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hawaii’s Soriano is a Contender Series product who quickly made a strong first impression inside the Octagon, scoring a pair of dramatic first-round knockout wins to announce his presence at 185 pounds. That momentum sputtered versus the highly experienced Brendan Allen, but Soriano remains a quality Middleweight prospect to keep an eye on. Maximov falls in that category as well. The 24-year-old Diaz camp trainee has a quality wrestling background and deep gas tank, but there’s definitely still room for improvement in the rest of his game. Still, given his age, Maximov has already accomplished quite a bit, recently winning his UFC debut to remain undefeated.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Punahele Soriano
Record: 8-1
Key Wins: Oskar Piechota (UFC 245), Dusko Todorovic (UFC Fight Island 7), Jamie Pickett (DWTNCS 17)
Key Losses: Brendan Allen (UFC Vegas 32)
Keys to Victory: Soriano is all about power. The Xtreme Couture-trained product stands a bit wide, allowing him to cover distance quickly and sling power punches. In general, he does a nice job of mixing up his haymakers between big overhands and straights down the middle.
Five of his wins come via knockout.
This is about as clear a striker vs. grappler match up as gets made in the modern UFC. Fortunately for Soriano, he’s thus far shown very solid takedown defense, forcing all three of his UFC opponents into kickboxing matches.
Maximov is a better chain wrestler than most, however. In order to ensure the fight remains standing, Soriano has to be sure to completely separate after his foe shoots. It’s not enough to sprawl on the initial shot if that allows Maximov to push his way into the clinch or fence and continue wrestling. Soriano has to stop the shot and break away back to center quickly.
Sending some crosses to the mid-section when in open space wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
Nick Maximov
Record: 7-0
Key Wins: Cody Brundage (UFC 266), Oscar Cota (DWTNCS 2020)
Key Losses: None
Keys to Victory: Maximov has a very solid skill set for a young prospect. He’s competent on his feet, but Maximov really excels once able to close distance. He chains together takedowns nicely, then works his submissions and ground strikes once in top position.
Toughness and pace can carry a young wrestler really far.
In this bout, Maximov absolutely has to get his hands on Soriano. In all likelihood, he’s never been hit quite as hard in his young career as pop that Soriano delivers, so Maximov wants to minimize the amount of time he’s spending at the range of that left hand.
In his last bout, Maximov showed a solid ability to hang onto opponents after a failed shot. That can really be key here, because Soriano’s last bout showed some solid balance and takedown defense. If Maximov’s double is stuff, he has to use his forward pressure to drive Soriano into the fence or at least transition into the clinch, where he can dirty box.
Maximov can put on a grueling pace, which can really be key to nullify a big power puncher. Even if the early takedown is elusive, hanging on Soriano and forcing him to continually wrestle will result in fatigue and weaker punches, making it more likely Maximov finds his takedown later on in the fight.
Bottom Line
It’s a fun style match up between prospects.
Had Soriano taken out Allen, he’d likely have a ranking next to his name. Instead, he’s looking to rebound in a co-main event slot (things could be worse just four fights into his UFC career). The Hawaiian has an exciting style and clear physical gifts, meaning a win could recover lost ground quickly and set up a bigger opportunity next.
Maximov, meanwhile, is taking a pretty massive step up in competition. The two men have a similar amount of fights, but Maximov has yet to fight anyone nearly as dangerous as “Puna.” If he’s successful in this jump, it really says positive things about the Californian’s future, immediately putting him on the cusp of a ranking.
At UFC Vegas 47, Punahele Soriano and Nick Maximov will battle in the co-main event. Which man earns the victory?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 47 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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