Nick Maximov’s grappling pressure was too much for Punahele Soriano in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 200 co-main event.
Maximov (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) survived some hard early shots from Soriano (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and put his wrestling game to use for the majority of three rounds to win a split decision by scores of 28-29, 30-27 and 29-28 and keep his undefeated record intact.
The middleweight bout was the UFC Fight Night 200 co-headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN+.
The contrast in strategy was evident from the outset. Soriano was immediately throwing heavy shots, while Maximov was hunting for the takedowns at any opportunity. Soriano got up from the first takedown, and found an opening to crack Maximov with a combination capped off by a brutal knee that split the nose open. Maximov responded with a desperation attempt to grapple, and it worked out well because he took the back of Soriano from a standing position to regain his wits until the end of the round.
Maximov wasted no time shooting for a takedown to begin Round 2, but Soriano was sharp in his defense and didn’t allow himself to get controlled or held down over the first two minutes. Maximov was relentless, though, and kept on the legs and waist of Soriano near the fence. The damage was minimal, but Maximov burned a lot of time off the clock with control and took some of the spring out of Soriano’s step.
It took less than 30 seconds into Round 3 for Maximov to get on Soriano’s legs and drag him to the ground near the fence. He kept the pressure on, switching between low leg attempts and waist control. Soriano did his best to land short shots and create space, but he appeared to have suffered a leg injury earlier in the fight, according to replays, and couldn’t get his opponent off him for the remainder of the round.
“It was exactly what I expected,” Maximov said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “He’s a tough Hawaiian. I wish I could’ve got the finish, but it’s all good.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 200 results include:
- Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Carlston Harris via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 4:10
- Brendan Allen def. Sam Alvey via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:10
- Bryan Battle def. Tresean Gore via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- John Castaneda def. Miles Johns via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 1:38
- Hakeem Dawodu def. Mike Trizano via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Chidi Njokuani def. Marc-Andre Barriault via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:16
- Alexis Davis def. Julija Stoliarenko via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-27)
- Jailton Almeida def. Danilo Marques via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:57
- Phil Rowe def. Jason Witt via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:15
- Malcolm Gordon def. Denys Bondar via submission (injury) – Round 1, 1:22
