Preview: UFC Vegas 101 ‘Dern vs. Ribas 2’

Welterweights

Uros Medic (10-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Punahele Soriano (10-4, 4-4 UFC)

ODDS: Medic (-198), Soriano (+164)

Two welterweights look to keep learning on the job in a fight that should produce some fireworks. Soriano’s last victory was the latest bit of hope in a UFC career that has mostly been an exercise in frustration, as the Hawaiian has about as much natural talent as anyone on the roster but has struggled to put it all together. Soriano got off to a hot start with two straight knockouts inside the Octagon, and even losses to Brendan Allen and Nick Maximov were easily shrugged off. Allen was already establishing himself as a rising contender, and the loss to Maximov was a bit controversial, as Soriano got to show off a lot of his defensive wrestling chops. Soriano eventually snapped his losing streak with another knockout win, but his momentum fell apart to a shocking degree in 2023. Fights against Roman Kopylov and Dustin Stoltzfus looked winnable on paper but were disasters for Soriano in practice, as he quickly tired himself out hunting for the knockout before getting finished in the second round on both occasions. A cut down to 170 pounds for his lone fight of 2024 against Miguel Baeza in June seemed like an act of desperation for a fighter clinging to his roster spot, so naturally, Soriano put in the best performance of his career, leaning on his wrestling while landing plenty of hard offense and looking like a complete fighter in a one-sided win. Soriano looks to keep that momentum going against Medic, who has had a more traditional career arc as a rising prospect.

Medic’s career was essentially meaningless prior to the Contender Series. “The Doctor” was a gigantic lightweight running over competition on the Alaskan regional scene, which ranks as a particularly subpar circuit. When given a shot against better competition, Medic proved to be someone worth watching. His aggression and knockout power has held up, and he has shown some durability in the face of some hard hitters, most notably staging a comeback against Matthew Semelsberger in 2023. While Medic has been a tough out, he has had some difficulty against powerful fighters willing to take him down and pour on offense—a description that fit Soriano in his last performance. The only question is whether or not Soriano can be consistent enough to look similarly strong for two fights in a row. It’s hard to trust the Hawaiian, but he gets the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Soriano via third-round stoppage.

Jump To »
Dern vs. Ribas
Ponzinibbio vs. Harris
Almeida vs. Alhassan
Kopylov vs. Curtis
Bashi vs. Rodriguez
Medic vs. Soriano
The Prelims