“I’m 100% behind Puna [Soriano]” at UFC 320, per Dustin Stoltzfus

Puna Soriano is looking to extend his winning streak to three straight in the coming weeks. The last person to beat him in the octagon will be wholeheartedly supporting him in that pursuit. Punahele Soriano takes on Nikolay Veretennikov at UFC 320 on October 4th. Dustin Stoltzfus is the fighter in question who last bested Soriano. He addressed Soriano’s looming fight when he appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts. Stoltzfus did this ahead of his own recent clash with Kelvin Gastelum at Noche UFC on September 13th.

One of the statement victories of Stoltzfus’ career was his win over Puna Soriano. Stoltzfus finished Soriano with a rear-naked choke. That occurred in the final minute of the second stanza during their UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs. Tsarukyan contest. That bout transpired on December 2nd, 2023. When offering up his thoughts on the Soriano vs. Veretennikov matchup early next month, Stoltzfus said,

“I’m 100% in Puna’s corner. I think Puna has the skills to do it. Even if he didn’t, I would still be rooting for him. So, I’m 100% behind Puna on that one.”

UFC 320 appoints referees and judges for championship bouts

Soriano vs. Veretennikov is but one of the intriguing fights set for UFC 320. Referees and judges have been selected for the championship bouts that top the card. The Nevada State Athletic Commission made these picks earlier today, as Herb Dean will be overseeing the main event bout. That headliner will see Magomed Ankalaev defending the light heavyweight crown against the man he took it from, Alex Pereira, in a highly anticipated rematch.

Sal D’Amato, Derek Cleary, and Chris Lee will serve as the cageside judges for this sequel clash with the 205-pound crown on the line. As for the UFC 320 co-main event, Marc Goddard will be the third man in the cage. Goddard will oversee the bantamweight championship bout between reigning 135-pound titleholder Merab Dvalishvili and hungry, surging contender Cory Sandhagen. Michael Bell, Ben Cartildge, and Eric Colon are the assigned judges for the penultimate fight of the UFC’s next pay-per-view offering.