According to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin UFC middleweights Punahele Soriano and Eric Spicely have been scheduled to fight at UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus, OH on March 28th. Soriano gets the call a few months after a highlight reel finish over Oskar Piechota at UFC 245.
Soriano’s win over Piechota in December took his undefeated record to 7-0. The Hawaiian earned entry to the UFC with a decision victory over Jamie Pickett on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series last June.
Prior to joining the UFC the 27-year-old picked up wins in LFA, Titan FC and the PFL.
Spicely holds a 12-5 record after competing for the UFC since 2016. His first bouts inside the Octagon came on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23. After being signed to the UFC proper Spicely went 2-4 with wins over future light heavyweight title contender Thiago Santos and Alessio Di Chirico.
The 33-year-old was cut after back-to-back-to-back stoppage losses to Antonio Carlos Junior, Gerald Meerschaert and Darren Stewart. After a pair of victories in the CES promotion Spicely was resigned to the UFC last year. In his return bout he dropped a decision to Deron Winn.
UFC on ESPN 8 is scheduled to feature a heavyweight clash in the main event slot, pitting Francis Ngannou against Jair Rozenstruik. Also on the card is a bantamweight bout between Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt, as well as Khalil Rountree’s apparent retirement fight versus Sam Alvey.