Roberto Soldic Survives Early Knockdowns to Win UFC Debut Over Khaos Williams

Roberto Soldic's long-awaited UFC debut almost went sideways before it got started. The former ONE and KSW welterweight champ was dropped twice in the opening round by Khaos Williams at UFC 332 on Saturday in Salt Lake City, then settled down to bank the next two rounds and walk away with a unanimous decision. The judges read it 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27.

Soldic was one of the UFC's higher-profile free-agent signings, and the Delta Center crowd got a two-speed version of him. The first five minutes were jittery. The last ten were the fighter the promotion thought it was buying — a pressure striker who grinds, mixes in takedowns, and doesn't let an opponent breathe. Williams, 16-5 with nine knockouts, came in off a first-round TKO of Nikolay Veretennikov and nearly turned that momentum into an upset.

A Rocky Start

Williams opened with inside kicks and then landed the combination that put Soldic on the mat for a flash knockdown. Soldic popped straight back up but looked stiff, loading up for a single big shot while Williams countered cleanly. A second knockdown followed — same story, Soldic back on his feet without trouble. His one answer in the frame was a takedown attempt late that didn't produce much.

The Turn

The fight flipped in round two. Soldic began finding a home for his best strikes, and a straight left to the body visibly hurt Williams. From there the Bosnian opened up, dragged the fight to the floor, and dumped ground-and-pound on Williams, who survived to the horn. The third was more of the same: a left hand landing on repeat, another takedown, and Soldic taking the back as time expired. He stayed disciplined, never overextending to let Williams back in.

Afterward, Soldic tipped his hat to the welcome, saying he liked the American crowd and crediting Williams's chin and power — a tough first assignment, in his words. The win hands him a clean slate in a deep division, though the bigger question is activity. Soldic has gone through long layoffs in recent years, and if he wants to climb, he'll need to fight more than he has been.

For Williams, it's a hard result against a decorated debutant. He showed the experience edge early and the power is real, but he couldn't hold off Soldic's grappling once the pace kicked in. Both men leave UFC 332 with plenty to work with — Soldic with a statement second half, Williams with a close loss that won't scare anyone off.