"I'm Argentinean, but I'm a nice guy.”
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.”
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