Rivalries: Santiago Ponzinibbio

Santiago Ponzinibbio seems to have drifted into a state of purgatory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division.

Now 35 years of age and seeking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his 33-fight career, the “Argentine Dagger” will face the surging Michel Pereira in the UFC Fight Night 206 co-main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ponzinibbio has lost two of his past three bouts. He last competed at UFC 269, where he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Geoff Neal on Dec. 11.

As Ponzinibbio moves ever closer to his three-round battle with Pereira at 170 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have defined his journey to this point:

Sean Strickland

Head and leg kicks intermingled with heavy power punches carried Ponzinibbio to a unanimous decision over the former King of the Cage champion in their UFC Fight Night 61 welterweight showcase on Feb. 22, 2015 at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Brazil. All three cageside judges struck 30-27 scorecards. The previously unbeaten Strickland worked behind a stinging left jab that left the Argentine with a bloody nose and sat him down twice. Still, it was not enough. Ponzinibbio attacked the American’s lead leg with repeated kicks and delivered punishing blows to the head, with kicks and punches. Strickland executed takedowns in the first and third rounds but failed to bottle up his counterpart on the ground. On the feet, he spent far too much time fighting with his back to the fence—a tendency that proved costly once the verdict was rendered.

Lorenz Larkin

The explosive Millennia MMA product put away Ponzinibbio with punches in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 70 co-main event on June 27, 2015 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The end came 3:07 into Round 2. Combinations flowed from Larkin at the start, the Californian pairing multi-punch blitzes with stinging leg kicks. Ponzinibbio never stopped moving forward, even with his mobility compromised, and the Argentine marched himself right into danger. Larkin cut down the American Top Team standout with a left hook-right cross-left hook combination in the second round and swarmed with vicious ground-and-pound. He continued his assault while Ponzinibbio tried valiantly to return to his feet, one final left hook to the face forcing referee Herb Dean to intervene.

Gunnar Nelson

Ponzinibbio obliterated the Icelandic grappling ace with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 113 headliner on July 6, 2017 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. The “Argentine Dagger” closed the deal 1:22 into Round 1 and continued a steady ascent through one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s deepest divisions. As has always been his custom, Nelson carried his hands low while probing for openings on the feet. Ponzinibbio clipped him with an overhand right, pushed him to the fence and floored the dazed Renzo Gracie black belt with a clean left to the face. A few follow-up punches on the ground forced Leon Roberts’ hand, the highly respected referee diving on top of the defenseless Nelson to prevent further damage.

Neil Magny

The American Top Team-trained Ponzinibbio sawed through “The Ultimate Fighter 16” semifinalist with leg kicks before he drew the curtain with a scintillating one-punch knockout in the fourth round of their UFC Fight Night 140 main event on Nov. 17, 2018 at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Magny faceplanted 2:36 into Round 4. Ponzinibbio barely gave the Elevation Fight Team export room to breathe, much less return fire. He scored with a probing jab and crisp one-two combinations, but leg kicks were the weapons to which he hitched his wagon. Ponzinibbio essentially turned “The Haitian Sensation” into a one-legged fighter, as he knocked him down with sweeping kicks to the lower leg on multiple occasions. In distress midway through the fourth round, Magny retreated to the fence and was met with a jarring right hand that left him prone on the canvas.

Jingliang Li

The China Top Team star filled in for Muslim Salikhov on short notice and knocked out Ponzinibbio in the first round of their UFC on ABC 1 welterweight feature on Jan. 16, 2021 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Li brought it to a surprising but emphatic conclusion 4:25 into Round 1. The setback spoiled Ponzinibbio’s first appearance in more than two years. Li bided his time during an extended feeling-out process, mixing in leg kicks while he waited for openings. Ponzinibbio misfired on a chopping right hand that left him out of position and vulnerable to the counter, and his opportunistic opponent made him pay. Li sent a sweeping left hook crashing into his chin, followed him to the canvas and delivered a final hammerfist before referee Jason Herzog could arrive on the scene.