Miguel Baeza It is Punahele Soriano meet on Saturday at the opening of the UFC on ESPN 57 main card at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Check out this quick recap of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Miguel Baeza x Punahele Soriano UFC in ESPN 57 preview
Baeza (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) entered the UFC in tears following her appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. His first three fights resulted in second round victories over Hector Aldana, Matt Brown and Takashi Sato. However, he has struggled ever since. Baeza is currently on a three-fight skid, including back-to-back stoppage losses that have pushed his UFC run to .500. … Soriano (9-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) will try to get back to the .500 mark. Soriano also came out of the gates after his DWCS signing. He defeated Oskar Piechota and Dusko Todorovic in the first round, but has since gone 1-4 in his last five.
Miguel Baeza vs Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57 Expert Pick, Prediction
Continuing the trend of anti-Joe Silva card formatting, UFC matchmakers not-so-surprisingly open the card with a welterweight fight between Soriano and Baeza.
In Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby’s defense, these two are exciting fighters who could produce a potential welterweight war.
Baeza, who is coming off a two-year layoff, will try to stop the bleeding from a three-fight losing skid against the southpaw Soriano.
Although Baeza is officially 1-0 against UFC southpaws (Takashi Sato), he has never faced someone as imposing and dangerous as “Puna.”
A former middleweight wrestler and college wrestler, Soriano made his money by punishing opponents with his crushing power on the feet. The Hawaiian has underperformed in his recent losing streak, so expect Soriano to have something to prove this Saturday.
Despite my admitted bias towards Soriano and his team at Xtreme Couture, I believe that Baeza – who is the deserved favorite – is a dangerous fighter to be named as favorite due to his suspect chin. For that reason, I’ll side with Soriano to score a semi-surprising right hook knockout in the second round.
Miguel Baeza vs Punahele Soriano UFC at ESPN 57 odds
Oddsmakers and the public favor the Florida fighter, listing Baeza (-184) and Soriano (+142) via FanDuel.
Miguel Baeza vs Punahele Soriano UFC on ESPN 57, start time, how to watch
As the opening fight of the main card, Baeza and Soriano are expected to walk to the Octagon around 8:05 p.m. ET. The fight is broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ESPN 57.
