Preview: UFC Fight Night 217 ‘Strickland vs. Imavov’

Middleweights

Punahele Soriano (9-2) vs. Roman Kopylov (9-2)
Odds: Soriano (-165), Kopylov (+140)

This should be a fun clash between two fighters looking to maximize their physical gifts. Punahele Soriano was signed off the Contender Series in 2019 as a raw but promising talent; as an athlete that can hit like a truck and has some wrestling skill, Soriano typically has an answer for whatever stands in front of him. Over three years later, that all holds true - it's just a bit frustrating that Soriano hasn't yet taken the next step in his development. Soriano hasn't shown much of a second gear, drifting through fights while relying on his talent - and thus far it's mostly worked; a decision loss to Brendan Allen was clear, but he probably deserved the nod in a wrestling-heavy fight against Nick Maximov and has otherwise knocked out his other UFC opponents. After a July knockout of Dalcha Lungiambula to get back in the win column, hopefully Soriano shows some new wrinkles here against Roman Kopylov. Another 2019 UFC signee, Kopylov was a bit more developed than Soriano upon his signing but has obviously needed to adjust to facing better competition. The Russian has some legitimate talent in terms of his striking and hand speed, but leaned on pace and volume to outlast his foes on the regional scene; he's essentially lost that marginal advantage in the UFC, leaving him to eat a ton of damage while showing flashes of success in wars of attrition. Kopylov's inactivity has also made his UFC career a bit frustrating, even as he's obviously improved from fight to fight, finally earning his first UFC win with a September knockout of Alessio Di Chirico. This figures to be another fight where Kopylov is going to have to march through hell, win or lose, and there's a chance he pours on enough offense to separate himself from the much more lackadaisical Soriano. But even if Kopylov proves too tough to knock out, he should give Soriano a ton of opportunity to land some hard shots and get the nod on the scorecards; the pick is Soriano via fun decision.

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Strickland vs. Imavov
Ige vs. Jackson
Soriano vs. Kopylov
Vieira vs. Pennington
Nurmagomedov vs. Barcelos
The Prelims