7 Ups And 1 Down From UFC 245

Punahele Soriano might not be a familiar name to you yet, but after his impressive performance in the first fight of UFC 245, it's quite clear that the heavy-handed middleweight could be a big deal in the future.

The 27-year old entered the Octagon as a relative unknown, facing three-time UFC veteran, Oskar Piechota, in his debut. It wasn't necessarily an easy experience for Soriano, who had to fight off some early submission offense from his opponent. However, it became clear very quickly that he was far better in the stand-up and he used it to his advantage, landing a brutal left hook that had Piechota staring up at the sky as he collapsed to the canvas.

While it's a bit early to start screaming for title shots or top contender fights, the 7-0 Hawaiian has certainly got some potential and could be part of the new batch of middleweights coming up in the division. There are still some questions that need to be answered, specifically regarding his ground game. However, he's got some serious power in his hands, so let's see how he does inside the Octagon in 2020.