A pair of former Wartburg wrestlers and fellow Hawaiians, Daniel Ige and Punahele Soriano, are enjoying success at the mixed martial arts professional level, competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

"Puna" Soriano '14 made his UFC debut on Saturday, Dec. 14 and knocked out his opponent in 3:17 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., to improve his record to 7-0. The middleweight earned a spot in UFC 245 after winning Dana White's Contender Series over the summer.

In an interview with UFC News following his victory, Soriano described his first career UFC win as "mind blowing" and "I can't even put the words to describe how I feel, concluding with giving thanks to "everybody in Hawaii, Waverly, Iowa at Wartburg College." In addition, he mentioned a dedication to former teammate, the late Kenny Anderson during an interview following the win with a host an in-arena host member, Joe Rogan. 

Soriano was a part of four consecutive Wartburg national team championships and NWCA national dual titles from 2011-14, compiling an 80-29 career record with 31 pins in Orange & Black as a two-time All-Conference honoree. In 2014, he was the NCAA Central Region runner-up at 197.

"My experience at Wartburg College honestly changed me for the better," said Soriano. "It's funny because I didn't realize how much it would impact me during my time there, I kind of took it for granted. It wasn't until years later when someone from Wartburg would check up on my here, whether it was Coach [Eric] Keller or teammates. They've sort of let me know they're still there, still my family.

I learned a lot from my time at Wartburg, and again, I may have taken it for granted at the time. I started to realize the same thing I've heard for years, things like sticking in there and everyday being at your best whether you feel like it or not. The little things you hear every day, they really mean the world and make a big difference."



Ige was a member of the 2011 Wartburg national championship wrestling squad and steered Soriano towards Wartburg, as the Hawaii natives had a relationship prior to college. Like Soriano, Ige signed with the UFC after earning a victory on Dana White's Contender Series in 2017. The featherweight has a career record of 12-2. 

"I got really lucky," Puna said about ending up at Wartburg. "My buddy Dan Ige had been asking about my plans after high school and I had no clue about what I wanted to do. He invited me out there and I took a leap of faith to join him."
 
Ige also helped guide Soriano into MMA, inviting him to his local gym's wrestling practices. "Ultimately it was my decision," Puna commented on getting into the sport. "He didn't want to push me to the fire too soon and let me develop a love on my own."
 
"Right now, I'm taking some time to enjoy the win and time with family," Soriano mentioned. "Ultimately, I want to be the champ of the middleweight division and the greatest fighter of all-time"