With new coach beside him, Soriano confident ahead of ONE fight

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

Filipino MMA fighter Bernard “Burn” Soriano last foray into ONE Championship didn’t end the way he intended.

Soriano suffered a first round technical knockout loss to Malaysian Saiful Merican back last Feb. 10 in Kuala Lumpur, and it’s been almost eight months and the Ilocos Sur native has yet to set foot inside the ONE cage.

During that stretch, Soriano chose to train under the guidance of Alliance MMA’s George Castro whom he feels could help him get back to the winning track.

“Right now, I have a tremendous support system in my training, especially with the help of my coach George Castro. He knows how to bring out the best in me. With him in my corner, it is always exciting to prepare for a bout,” said Soriano, who olds a professional record of 3-3.

Soriano will be put to the test on Nov. 3 when he faces undefeated Chinese fighter Chen Lei (3-0) in ONE: Hero’s Dream in Myanmar.

“I want to win so bad. I have dreams and aspirations as a competitor. In order to turn those into a reality, I have to win first. This is the first step,” said Soriano.

“My team is outstanding. I have the best coach in my corner. I also train with the most talented athletes in the region. With that said, I’m motivated and oozing with confidence coming into this bout because I have them behind me.”