Daniil Donchenko came out firing in Round 1 at UFC Paris against Punahele Soriano. The Ukrainian fighter kept up nonstop forward pressure and punished Soriano as he attempted to secure a takedown.

Donchenko dropped Soriano with a clean right hook and unleashed numerous follow-up strikes. Somehow, Soriano survived by clinging to Donchenko’s leg and buying himself enough time and cover to recover.

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 05: (R-L) Daniil Donchenko of Ukraine punches Punahele Soriano in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 05, 2026, in Paris, France. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

For the rest of the first frame, an already gassed-out Soriano remained on the back foot as Donchenko punished him with body shots, leg kicks, and elbows, making Soriano hesitant to throw anything significant.

Round 2 was another action-heavy round from both fighters, with similar output. After a brief timeout following a low blow, Soriano came out strong and fought a much better round, going toe-to-toe with Donchenko.

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 05: (R-L) Daniil Donchenko of Ukraine knees Punahele Soriano in their welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 05, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Round 3 was another dominant round for Daniil Donchenko. He landed vicious combinations and continued to do damage even when Punahele Soriano took him down by landing shots from the ground and firing elbows in the clinch.

Soriano finished the final stanza on a high note by carrying Donchenko on his shoulders and slamming him to the canvas and landing follow-up shots.

However, 33-year-old “Puna” did not do enough to get ahead on the judges’ scorecards and got his 4-fight UFC win streak snapped.

Official decison: Daniil Donchenko defeated Punahele Soriano by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Paris.

Meanwhile, after tonight’s win at UFC Paris, Daniil Donchenko extended his win streak to 9 and called out Daniel Rodriguez for a showdown at the Meta Apex later this year.

UFC Paris: Daniil Donchenko vs. Punahele Soriano – Highlights

Subham

Subham is a writer and editor with experience spanning MMA, Health & Fitness, true crime, and pop culture. He has previously worked with Sportskeeda MMA, SK True Crime, and SK Pop, Movies, and Shows.
He currently covers the UFC for LowKickMMA and MMA Pros Picks.