Punahele Soriano vs. Eric Spicely joins UFC on ESPN 8 in Columbus

Middleweights Punahele Soriano and Eric Spicely are expected to clash at the upcoming UFC on ESPN 8 card from Columbus, Ohio on March 28.

Multiple sources confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting on Sunday following an initial report from MMAJunkie.

After earning his way to the UFC by way of Dana White’s Contender Series, Soriano made quite an impression in his first fight inside the Octagon. The Hawaiian born slugger earned a highlight reel knockout against Oskar Piechota in the first round at UFC 245 this past December.

As he looks to stay undefeated in his career, Soriano will now face a veteran in Spicely, who will attempt to get back in the win column after falling to Deron Winn in his UFC return last June.

Spicely, a former Ultimate Fighter competitor, was released from the UFC before earning his way back with two straight wins over Leo Pia and Caio Magalhaes. While he came up short in his return fight against Winn, Spicely put on a show after accepting the bout on short notice.

Now he will attempt to get his first UFC win since 2017 when he submitted Alessio Di Chirico.

Soriano vs. Spicely is the latest addition to a growing UFC card headed to Ohio with heavyweights Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik clashing in the main event.