This Sunday the UFC will be in snowy Halifax, Nova Scotia for UFC Fight Night 105. Bereft of big name fighters in the prime of their careers, the card features a number of characters hoping to crack the top 15 with breakout performances. Among those fighters is welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio (23-3), who has quietly amassed a three-fight win streak and a 5-2 record in the UFC.
In Canada the thirty-year-old Argentinian, who won season two of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, will face Montreal native Nordine Taleb (12-3). It’s likely that Taleb will be the crowd favorite in the match-up, but this is nothing new to Ponzinibbio.
“I’m Argentinean. I’ve had most of my fights in Brazil. Argentina and Brazil are great rivals for soccer, so I’m used to being the visitor,” said Ponzinibbio to Bloody Elbow. After going 7-0 in Argentina to begin his MMA career, Ponzinibbio relocated to Brazil. There he competed 12 times (losing just once) amidst the notorious chants of uh vai morrer.
After winning TUF Ponzinibbio linked up with Team Nogueira in Rio before eventually moving to the US. He currently trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fl. Ponzinibbio does not expect the Canadian faithful to be as partizan as the crowds he witnessed in South America. But even if they were, it wouldn’t concern him. “I’m used to [being booed],” said Ponzinibbio. “I don’t care about that.” The visitor also believes there’s a chance he can convert Canucks who begin their night rooting for Taleb. “If Canadians like good fighters, they’ll definitely cheer for me.”
Ponzinibbio has labelled his forthcoming opponent a “good striker,” but also stated that the Tristar product “leaves spaces” open in his overall game. The streaking ‘Gente Boa’ wouldn’t be drawn on how he might exploit those spaces, though. Instead he enforced – simply – that he’s, “a better fighter than [Taleb] in all aspects.”
After being stunned by Lorenz Larkin in 2015, Ponzinibbio earned first round finishes over Andreas Stahl and Court McGee. His last fight – which occurred in August, 2016 – was a comfortable decision victory over Zak Cummings. Ponzinibbio cited his “precision striking” as a major factor guiding him to those three impressive victories, along with the overall progress he has been making at American Top Team. The South American trains grappling mostly with ATT mainstay Mike Brown. Along with Brown, Poznibbio highlighted Steve Mocco (wrestling), Katel Kubis (muay thai), Kelson Pinto (boxing), and Ewerton Teixeira (strength and conditioning) as being instrumental in his recent training camps. “This squad is helping me feel better every time. [With them] I am prepared to win against any athlete in my division.”
Ponzinibbio, who is not currently ranked in the UFC welterweight division, is targeting an impressive win over Taleb to help him get noticed by fans and matchmakers alike. “I have been working very hard for a long time,” said Ponzinibbio. “I have much more to give. I will be in the top rankings this year, that is my place.”
You can see if Santiago Ponzinibbio is able to take a big step towards the UFC’s welterweight rankings this Sunday night, on Fox Sports 1.