UFC Fight Night 217: Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov Preview, Betting Odds and Prediction

Hawaiian middleweight prospect Punahele Soriano is coming into this fight off the back of a ferocious second-round KO win last year. At UFC on ABC 3 in July 2022, Soriano stopped Dalcha Lungiambul dead in his tracks with a series of brutal punches.

Soriano's next opponent, Roman Kopylov, last fought at UFC Fight Night Paris in September 2022. There, he picked up a third-round KO win over Alessio Di Chirico.

Both of these fighters broke two-match losing skids with their most recent wins. Needless to say, both will be looking to keep that momentum going at UFC Fight Night 217.

Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov Fight Details

Date & Time: Saturday, January 14, 09:00p.m. EST (approx)

Venue: UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada

Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov Betting Odds

Fighter	Moneyline	Win by TKO/KO	Win by Submission	Win by Decision	Draw
Punahele Soriano	-155	+150	+900	+350	+5000
Roman Kopylov	+135	+300	+1600	+400	+5000

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Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov Tale of the Tape

Roman Kopylov will enjoy slight advantages in both height and reach in this bout. Interestingly, both men tend to employ a southpaw stance in the cage. This should make for a vicious fight on the feet as both men tend to rely on their punching power to the get the job done.

Kopylov has had two lenghty lay-offs in recent years but competed more recently than the more consistently active Soriano. When it comes to footwork, Soriano has shown a surprising level of weakness considering the scary power he often manages to generate for his strikes.

Fighter	Age	Height	Weight	Reach	Record
Punahele Soriano	30	5'11"	185lbs	72"	9-2-0
Roman Kopylov	31	6'0"	185lbs	75"	9-2-0

Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov Prediction

For Kopylov, the key to victory may lie in utilizing his array of kicks. When it comes to punching power, Soriano likely has him beat. However, Kopylov is a more complete striker who could use this to his advantage by slowing his opponent down with leg kicks in the early rounds.

For Soriano, the biggest weakness his opponent has shown is when he's on his back. Given the Hawaiian middleweight's wrestling pedigree, shooting for the takedown could go his way. More often than not, Soriano has made his wrestling secondary to his striking, using only his respectable sprawl game for defense. Against someone like Kopylov, who is ill-equipped for aggressive wrestling offense, a potentially quick way to victory would be to emphasize wrestling more than usual.