Preview: UFC on ESPN 52 ‘Dariush vs. Tsarukyan’

Middleweights

Punahele Soriano (9-3, 3-3 UFC) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (14-5, 1-4 UFC)

ODDS: Soriano (-270), Stoltzfus (+220)

Whenever things finally click for Soriano, watch out. A former wrestler, Soriano came to the UFC in 2019 as a raw physical talent with thudding power, showing off a lot of skills while mostly being concerned with hunting for the knockout. Four years later, the Hawaiian is still essentially the same fighter. Soriano offers up enough reminders that he can absolutely crack to remain interesting, and he can be pressed into a well-rounded game if needed. His controversial split decision loss to Nick Maximov in 2022 saw Soriano show an impressive level of defensive wrestling. However, his January defeat to Roman Kopylov felt like the starkest example yet of Soriano’s problems coming home to roost, as he constantly lunged after the Russian with big punches, only to get outmaneuvered and knocked out in what figured to be a winnable fight.

A rebound seems likely against Stoltzfus, an American fighting out of Germany who has struggled to find his footing in the UFC thus far. Stoltzfus has some skills to offer and is better than his UFC record would suggest, but he has not had much luck when it comes to matchmaking. A slow-footed wrestler, Stoltzfus has typically found himself pitted against either more dynamic strikers who could blow him apart on the feet or standout grapplers who could essentially beat him at his own game. Soriano does tend to minimize his chances for success, so Stoltzfus could certainly grind out an ugly win. With that said, Soriano’s athletic advantages make it likely that he can find Stoltzfus’ chin at some point. The pick is Soriano via first-round knockout.

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Dariush vs. Tsarukyan
Turner vs. Green
Font vs. Figueiredo
Brady vs. Gastelum
Soriano vs. Stoltzfus
Silva vs. Guida
The Prelims