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UFC Fight Night is set to get going this weekend from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7:00 p.m ET. There is a five-bout main card highlighted by a light heavyweight fight between Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov. Also notable on the main card is a middleweight fight between Punahele Soriano and Roman Kopylov.
Soriano (9-2) is 3-2 in his last five bouts. He was 8-0 before dropping two straight and then rebounding in his last bout in July of 2022, defeating Dalcha Lungiambula via second round KO. Soriano joined the UFC in 2019 and was looking to climb up the middleweight class prior to losing two straight. He’s won 67 percent of his fights via KO/TKO, landing 3.95 significant strikes per minute and 47 percent of his significant strikes.
Kopylov (9-2), similar to his opponent, he was 8-0 before suffering two straight losses and then rebounding to win their last. He defeated Alessio Di Chirico via third round knockout at UFC Fight Night 209 in Sept, 2022. Kopylov has only fought three times in the UFC, losing his first two. He’s an aggressive fighter, having won 89 percent of his bouts via KO/TKO. He’s lands 3.44 significant punches, or about 44 percent of them.
How to watch Punahele Soriano vs. Roman Kopylov
Date: Saturday, January 14
Fight time: Main card starts at 7 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN+
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Soriano: -155
Kopylov: +135
Splits: 54% of handle, 64% of bets on Soriano
Kopylov is in a rough spot here. He has to initiate exchanges and also watch out for Soriano’s powerful left hand. Kopylov can take a few of them, but not many and once Soriano begins to connect with confidence, it’s going to be the end of the line for Kopylov.