Preview: UFC on ABC 3 Prelims

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Long Island with UFC on ABC 3 this Saturday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, looks to be a stacked affair—enough so that the six-fight preliminary slate compares favorably to some UFC Fight Night main draws. The featured prelim seems like an odd choice: Punahele Soriano and Dalcha Lungiambula are potential knockout threats who enter the cage on two-fight losing streaks. However, one of the highlights of the entire event lurks just below, as Ricky Simon and Jack Shore collide in a bantamweight banger. Meanwhile, a similarly tantalizing light heavyweight tilt sits deeper down the card, where Dustin Jacoby and Da Un Jung get their toughest test in recent memory. Add in an intriguing Bill Algeo-Herbert Burns pairing, along with Jessica Penne welcoming Emily Ducote to the UFC, and there appears to be a lot to like about this appetizer.

Now to the preview for the UFC on ABC 3 “Ortega vs. Rodriguez” prelims:

Middleweights

Punahele Soriano (8-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Dalcha Lungiambula (11-4, 2-3 UFC)

ODDS: Soriano (-245), Lungiambula (+205)

Despite his current two-fight losing streak, Soriano is still a prospect to watch. The Hawaiian was raw and inexperienced upon earning his UFC contract in 2019, and his typical approach is relatively straightforward: Hit like a truck and have enough wrestling to keep the fight standing. Soriano had enough physicality for that to work in his first two UFC bouts—both via first-round knockout—but recent losses to Brendan Allen and Nick Maximov have shown that an opponent durable enough to eat his offense and stay aggressive can do enough to wear him out. He will look to rebound against Lungiambula, who is also looking to stop a two-fight skid. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lungiambula is a standout athlete who was able to rely on that as a path to victory on the South African regional scene. That has been a tougher ask now that Lungiambula is fighting stateside. He has some judo skills to back up his knockout power, but the main worry for most of Lungiambula’s UFC career has been his cardio, which has made him a two-round fighter at best. Lungiambula showed a bit more progress in pacing himself against Marc-Andre Barriault, but he was still exhausted by the end of it. After a subsequent submission loss to Cody Brundage, “Champion” could use a win. This should be relatively even early, but Soriano seems indestructible enough to eat Lungiambula’s offense; and while the Hawaiian has his own cardio issues, Lungiambula should be the one to fade faster if this fight goes at any sort of pace. The pick is Soriano via ugly decision.

Jump To »
Soriano vs. Lungiambula
Shore vs. Simon
Algeo vs. Burns
Jacoby vs. Jung
Grant vs. Stoltzfus
Ducote vs. Penne