Punahele Soriano feeling the love of the sport after UFC 245 debut KO

LAS VEGAS – Punahele Soriano beat Oskar Piechota with a first-round knockout Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC 245 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Soriano, who picked up a highlight-reel knockout in his UFC debut.

Result: Punahele Soriano def. Oskar Piechota via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:17
Updated records: Soriano (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Piechota (11-3-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Key stat: Soriano has six of his seven career wins by stoppage. The only time he went to a decision as a pro was on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Soriano on the fight’s key moment

“When I had him hurt, all I could think is that I want to kill him. But every punch I hit him with, he looked fine. So I took some time to catch my breath and slow down.”

Soriano on the pressure of his official UFC debut

“This is everything I thought it would be and more. I can’t even describe it. I’m lucky that I got to go through (Dana White’s) Contender Series beforehand because it helped put the big stage in perspective for me. I had a glimpse of what to expect, so I could have a little more fun with it instead of just being super tense the whole time and rushing through it.”

Soriano on what he wants next

“The future is bright. I want to go back to training as soon as I can. I probably have to take a week off, but then I want to work on my skills, get better and get back in there. I love it.”

To hear more from Soriano, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.