“I’m Argentinean, but I’m a nice guy.”
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With that introductory statement on the Globo broadcast of “The
Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2,” Santiago
Ponzinibbio, the only non-Brazilian on the season, was able to
win over the audience and make them forget about the country’s
longstanding soccer rivalry with Argentina. Always smiling and
speaking Portuguese with a strong Spanish accent, Ponzinibbio went
on to be one of the most popular fighters on the season.
Ponzinibbio won all his fights on the show but was unable to fight
in the finale due to an arm injury. Once he recovered, Ponzinibbio
signed with the UFC and relocated to Florida to train at American
Top Team. He authored a seven-bout winning streak between 2015 and
2018 to establish himself as a serious contender at 170 pounds, but
a bacterial infection put him on the shelf for more than two
years.
Ponzinibbio returned to the Octagon in 2021, losing two of his
three bouts, including a competitive split-decision defeat to
Geoff
Neal at UFC 269 this past December.
“I thought I did enough to win, but it was really a war and could
have gone either way,” Ponzinibbio told Sherdog.com. “I lost some
positions in the rankings, but the most important thing for me was
to stay active.”
Even though Michel
Pereira, his opponent at UFC Fight Night 206 this Saturday, is
unranked, Ponzinibbio believes it is a chance to put on an
entertaining fight.
“Pereira is one of the most spectacular fighters in the UFC. Nobody
has ever done what he is doing,” Ponzinibbio said. “Also, he is
coming is coming off four straight wins, building great momentum in
the company. And he likes to brawl just like myself, so I thought
it could be a great opportunity to give a great show to the
fans.”
Pereira said in a recent interview with Sherdog that he didn’t want
to fight Ponzinibbio because he considered him to be Brazilian
after “TUF: Brazil 2.” Ponzinibbio appreciates the sentiment, but
business comes first.
“I also feel like I’m half Brazilian. I did all my career in
Brazil, learned MMA after I moved to Brazil, got the opportunity
thanks to ‘TUF: Brazil 2,’” Ponzinibbio said.
“But at the end of the day we are both employees of the biggest
promotion in the world and we have to be happy to have that
opportunity. I have no doubt we are going to have a three-round
stand-up war that’s going to be always remembered in the history of
the division.”