Santiago Ponzinibbio looked like a future UFC champion during his three-year winning run.
The Argentine welterweight became a title contender with seven straight victories inside the Octagon.
Big-name opponents Neil Magny and Mike Perry were no match for Santiago Ponzinibbio at his peak.
The most ruthless win of his career came against Conor McGregor’s sparring partner in July 2017.
Watch Santiago Ponzinibbio KO Gunnar Nelson
Santiago Ponzinibbio brutally knocked out Gunnar Nelson in 82 seconds at UFC Glasgow.
However, their main event matchup was not as straightforward as it appears in the record books.
Conor McGregor‘s Icelandic teammate enjoyed some early success before taking an eye poke.
Subsequently, Ponzinibbio pounced and put him to sleep with a vicious flurry of punches.
Post-fight, Nelson spoke with frustration about the foul and his decision to fight through it.
“I’m kicking myself in the head for not stopping the fight. I should have stopped the fight, recovered, and carried on from there,” he told MMA Junkie at the time.
“I caught him, I thought I had him on the run and I could finish the fight. I think that was the biggest mistake in this fight.
“I’m not saying that if I didn’t get caught by it that I would have seen the shot coming. It is what it is. Even then, I was seeing double, and I was able to land a few more shots. But then he catches me with a nice right hand.”
What’s next for Santiago Ponzinibbio?
Three fights later, Santiago Ponzinibbio got KO’d by Li Jingliang in a shocking upset loss.
Since then, the 38-year-old has never rediscovered the form that made him a UFC boogeyman.
Ponzinibbio is 3-4 in his last seven fights heading into a clash with Daniel Rodriguez this weekend.
Many fans believe they’ll take Fight of the Night honors at UFC Des Moines on Saturday night.