Santiago
Ponzinibbio has a new opponent for his Octagon return at
UFC Fight Night 184.
According to a report from
MMAFighting.com, Jingliang
Li has agreed to replace Muslim
Salikhov and face Ponzinibbio at the Jan. 16 event. Salikhov
withdrew from the bout due to health issues that came from
contracting COVID-19 this past September.
UFC Fight Night 184 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is
headlined by a featherweight showdown between Max
Holloway and Calvin
Kattar. The card is currently expected to stream on ESPN+.
Li competed once in 2020, dropping a unanimous decision to Neil Magny at
UFC 248 on March 7. Prior to that, “The Leech” had been victorious
in seven of his previous eight Octagon appearances.
Ponzinibbio hasn’t competed in the Octagon since November 2018,
when he knocked out Neil Magny in
the fourth round of the UFC Fight Night 140 headliner. The
34-year-old Argentinian is currently on a seven-fight winning
streak.