Soriano Needed One Right Hand to End the Medić Fight
Punahele Soriano knocked out Uroš Medić thirty-one seconds into their welterweight contest on January 11, 2025. The UFC APEX bout in Las Vegas opened the main card and gave Soriano a second consecutive victory after moving to the division.
A brief exchange produced the knockout
Medić landed a body shot before Soriano advanced with a two-punch attack. Soriano’s left missed, but the following right hand connected and sent Medić to the canvas.
Soriano moved forward to follow up, though the decisive damage had already been delivered. The official result recorded a first-round knockout from the right hand, ending the matchup almost as soon as it had begun.
The welterweight move had changed his momentum
Soriano had previously defeated Miguel Baeza by unanimous decision in June 2024. That full-distance performance gave him a successful start at 170 pounds before the much shorter meeting with Medić.
Before changing divisions, he had suffered consecutive second-round defeats to Roman Kopylov and Dustin Stoltzfus during 2023. The Baeza and Medić victories reversed that sequence with contrasting kinds of performances.
Early finishing power was already established
Soriano had entered the UFC with a reputation for quick conclusions. His official history included a first-round stoppage of Duško Todorović and a twenty-eight-second second-round knockout of Dalcha Lungiambula.
The Medić finish added another example of that punching threat. This time, Soriano did not need extended wrestling exchanges or a judges’ decision: one clean connection settled the contest.
Sources
- UFC: opening exchange and right-hand knockout
- UFC: Baeza victory and earlier fight history
- UFC: official result, date and venue
