Yahoo Sports Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 249
Uros Medic and Punahele Soriano meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 249 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 0-0
UFC main cards, 2024: 0-0
Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano UFC Fight Night 249 preview
Medic (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will look to stay in the winner's column following a first-round knockout of Tim Means. The fight in April was Medic's only appearance of 2024, and was a nice rebound from a submission loss in the fight prior. ... Soriano (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) also enters after a victory in his only appearance last year. In June, he picked up a unanimous decision win over Miguel Baeza, which snapped a two-fight stoppage skid.
Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano UFC Fight Night 249 expert pick, prediction
The main card in Las Vegas opens with a potential welterweight way between Soriano and Medic.
Both fighters are action-fighting southpaws, which should make for fireworks inside the smaller octagon of the UFC's Apex.
Soriano is 0-1 against fellow UFC-level lefties, while Medic is split in his sample size against southpaws, standing 1-1.
Both men seem to struggle with defending bodywork from both stances, but I'd give Medic a slight edge standing. That said, Medic appears to have a bad habit of retreating hard linearly when pressured – which could be extra costly in the small cage.
Couple that with Soriano's on-paper wrestling and judo credentials, and I suspect that the Hawaiian replicates his welterweight debut with another wrestling-heavy performance here.
The pick is Soriano to force a stoppage by strikes in Round 2.
Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano UFC Fight Night 249 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Serbian fighter, listing Medic -215 and Soriano +180 via FanDuel.
Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano UFC Fight Night 249 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Medic and Soriano are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 7:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Uros Medic vs. Punahele Soriano prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 249
