LAS VEGAS >> The jitters that have always been there were as strong as ever.

So was the punching power.

Kahuku alum Punahele Soriano had the perfect start to his UFC career with a first-round knockout of Oskar Piechota to kick off UFC 245 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

Soriano (7-0, 1-0 UFC) displayed the punching power needed at middleweight (185 pounds) when he sent Piechota’s eyes rolling into the back of his head with a left hook followed by a right hand that forced the stoppage at 3 minutes, 17 seconds.

“Yeah, I was nervous. I was so nervous,” Soriano said. “This is everything I thought it would be and more. I’m lucky I had to go through the Contender Series beforehand because it helped put the big stage in perspective for me.”

Soriano earned his UFC contract by winning a fight in Dana White’s Contender Series. He then went out and nearly finished the opening bout of UFC 245 in the first 90 seconds with a left hook that dropped Piechota (11-3-1, 2-3) to the mat. Soriano pounced with a bevy of hammer fists that rattled Piechota, but not enough to force the referee stoppage.

“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.’

Piechota showed some life and took Soriano’s back for a second and locked in a kimura attempt for a moment, ripping Soriano’s arm behind his head.

Soriano managed to maneuver his way out of it and got back to his feet, it was only a matter of moments before the left hook again crippled Piechota.

“I’m so glad I got to make my debut here,” Soriano said. “I got a bunch of family here. A bunch of people who don’t even know me from Hawaii are here for support. It means a lot.”

Usman gives fans a KO in title fight

The night’s main event went into the fifth round, but unlike the other two title fights that went the distance, Kamaru Usman scored a TKO victory over Colby Covington to retain his UFC welterweight title.

Usman scored the TKO finish with 50 seconds remaining in a fight that had the judges all over the place.

The judges had Covington ahead 3-1, Usman ahead 3-1 and tied 2-2 heading into the fifth. If the fight wasn’t stopped, Usman would have won a majority or split decision.

Usman’s 11-fight winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the UFC behind Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who have won 12 in a row.

Nunes goes the distance to retain crown

UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes made it 10 wins in a row with a unanimous decision (49-44, 49-46, 49-45) over a game Germaine de Randamie to retain her title.

Ranked two spots ahead of Max Holloway in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings at No. 5, Nunes destroyed de Randamie in the first round but then was staggered in the second round.

She was briefly in trouble in the fourth round when de Randamie nearly had an arm-triangle sunk, but Nunes escaped and finished the fight with takedowns and top position.

Nunes’ eight successful takedowns are the most in a UFC women’s title fight and her 12 total wins is also a female UFC record.

Disappointing night for two legends

One is already in the UFC Hall of Fame and the other is on his way.

It wasn’t a good night for two legends of the sport. Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber was knocked out by No. 4-ranked bantamweight Petr Yan with a head kick 43 seconds in the third round to open the pay-per-view broadcast.

Faber, who ended a 31-month retirement in July that included his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, was busted up near his left eye. The fight was momentarily stopped in the second round to allow the ringside doctor to check out the injury.

He was transported to a local hospital after the fight.

Unlike Faber, who was overwhelmed by his opponent, Jose Aldo, the former two-time UFC featherweight champion who was TKO’d twice by Holloway in 2017, made his UFC bantamweight debut and was impressive, but lost a close split decision to No. 1-ranked Marlon Moraes.

Two of the three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Moraes with the third giving it to Aldo, who was dejected after the fight and in tears as he exited the cage. Aldo is now 3-5 since his 18-fight win streak was ended in a 13-second knockout against Conor McGregor.