Santiago Ponzinibbio

Santiago Ponzinibbio (born 26 September 1986) is an Argentine mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He also works as a UFC color commentator for the UFC Spanish broadcasts on UFC Español.

Background Ponzinibbio was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires, to parents of Italian descent, with paternal grandparents originating in Sicily. He began training kickboxing when he was 13 years old growing up in Argentina. Ponzinibbio became interested in MMA, but there were too few local gyms in which he could pursue it. As a result, Ponzinibbio traveled to Florianópolis, Brazil, where he lived the first five months in a tent on a beach, doing some odd jobs to try make ends meet. Meanwhile, he trained at several nearby gyms. He turned professional in 2008 competing in regional promotions in South America.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Ponzinibbio racked a record of 18–1 in the Latin America regional circuit before trying out for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil In March 2013, it was revealed that Ponzinibbio was a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2. He won his elimination fight to get into the TUF house, defeating Thiago Silva by TKO in round 1. He was the second pick for Team Nogueira. In the semifinals, he defeated Leonardo Santos by unanimous decision. However, Ponzinibbio broke his hand during this semifinal fight and was replaced by Santos in the finals against William Macário.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Ponzinibbio faced Ryan LaFlare on 9 November 2013, at UFC Fight Night 32. LaFlare won the fight via unanimous decision.

Ponzinibbio was briefly linked to a bout with Jordan Mein on 19 April 2014, at UFC on Fox 11. However, Ponzinibbio was removed from the bout and replaced by Hernani Perpetuo.

Ponzinibbio was expected to face Ildemar Alcântara on 5 July 2014, at UFC 175. However, Ponzinibbio was forced out of the bout with a knee injury. He was replaced by Kenny Robertson.

Ponzinibbio was expected to face Sérgio Moraes on 13 September 2014, at UFC Fight Night 51. However, Moraes pulled out of the bout citing a lingering knee injury and was replaced by Wendell Oliveira. Ponzinibbio defeated Oliveira by TKO in the first round.

Ponzinibbio faced Sean Strickland on 22 February 2015, at UFC Fight Night 61. Ponzinibbio won the back and forth fight via unanimous decision.

Ponzinibbio next faced Lorenz Larkin on 27 June 2015, at UFC Fight Night 70. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round and earned a Fight of the Night bonus.

Ponzinibbio faced Andreas Ståhl on 10 December 2015, at UFC Fight Night 80. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.

Ponzinibbio faced Court McGee on 16 April 2016, at UFC on Fox 19. He won the bout via TKO in the first round.

Ponzinibbio next faced Zak Cummings on 6 August 2016, at UFC Fight Night 92. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Ponzinibbio faced Nordine Taleb on 19 February 2017, at UFC Fight Night 105. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Ponzinibbio faced Gunnar Nelson on 16 July 2017, at UFC Fight Night 113. He won the fight by knockout in the first round, becoming the first man to finish Nelson by knockout in MMA competition. The win also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award. At the post fight press conference, Nelson claimed that Ponzinibbio poked him in the eye during an earlier exchange and caused him to see double, stating “I really should have said something because I was seeing double for the rest of the fight. He caught me with a shot that I didn’t really see.” Ponzinibbio dismissed Nelson's claim and stated "I went there to knock him out and thank God it went as expected, I won by knockout. If (the eye poke) happened, of course it wasn’t intentional, but I watched the video again and didn’t see it."

Ponzinibbio faced Mike Perry on 16 December 2017, at UFC on Fox 26. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Ponzinibbio was expected to face Kamaru Usman on 19 May 2018, at UFC Fight Night 129. However, on 21 April 2018, Ponzinibbio announced he was injured and pulled from the card.

Ponzinibbio faced Neil Magny on 17 November 2018, at UFC Fight Night 140. He won the fight via knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Ponzinibbio was expected to face Robbie Lawler on 14 December 2019, at UFC 245. However, on 12 October 2019, it was revealed that Ponzinibbio had pulled out of the fight due to a staph infection.

Ponzinibbio was scheduled to face Muslim Salikhov on 16 January 2021, at UFC on ABC 1. However, Salikhov pulled out of the bout in mid-December citing health issues after contracting COVID-19. However, Li Jingliang stepped in as a replacement on short notice and the two fought at UFC on ABC 1. Ponzinibbio lost the fight via first-round knockout.

Ponzinibbio faced Miguel Baeza on 5 June 2021, at UFC Fight Night 189. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. This bout earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Ponzinibbio faced Geoff Neal on 11 December 2021, at UFC 269. He lost the back-and-forth bout via split decision. 10 out of 14 media scores gave it to Neal.

Ponzinibbio faced Michel Pereira on 21 May 2022 at UFC Fight Night 206. He lost the fight via split decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Ponzinibbio was scheduled to face Robbie Lawler on 10 December 2022, at UFC 282. However, the week of the event, Lawler was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by Alex Morono at a catchweight of 180 pounds. Ponzinibbio won the fight via technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Ponzinibbio faced Kevin Holland on 8 April 2023, at UFC 287. He lost the bout via knockout in the third round.

Ponzinibbio was scheduled to face Daniel Rodriguez on 16 September 2023, at UFC Fight Night 227. However, Rodriguez was pulled from the bout by USADA after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine. Ponzinibbio then announced in early September that he would not be competing at the event after all.

Ponzinibbio faced Muslim Salikhov on 13 July 2024 at UFC on ESPN 59. He lost the fight by split decision. 9 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Ponzinibbio.

Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris on 11 January 2025 at UFC Fight Night 249. He won the fight by technical knockout in the third round.

Ponzinibbio faced Daniel Rodriguez on 3 May 2025 at UFC on ESPN 67. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the third round.

Ponzinibbio was scheduled to face Vicente Luque on 11 October 2025, at UFC Fight Night 261. However, Ponzinibbio was forced to pull out from the event due to injury, and was replaced by Joel Álvarez.

Ponzinibbio faced Sam Patterson on 25 July 2026 at UFC Fight Night 282. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (Three Times) MMAjunkie.com 2021 June Fight of the Month vs. Miguel Baeza 2022 May Fight of the Month

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Sam Patterson TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Guskov

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Loss

Daniel Rodriguez TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo

Des Moines, Iowa, United States Win

Carlston Harris TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas 2

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Muslim Salikhov Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Kevin Holland KO (punch) UFC 287

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Alex Morono TKO (punches) UFC 282

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Michel Pereira Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Geoff Neal Decision (split) UFC 269

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Miguel Baeza Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Li Jingliang KO (punch) UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Neil Magny KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Mike Perry Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Win

Gunnar Nelson KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio

Glasgow, Scotland Win

Nordine Taleb Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Win

Zak Cummings Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Win

Court McGee TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans

Tampa, Florida, United States Win

Andreas Ståhl TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Lorenz Larkin TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Sean Strickland Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir

Porto Alegre, Brazil Win

Wendell Oliveira KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski

Brasília, Brazil Loss

Ryan LaFlare Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 2

Goiânia, Brazil Win

Cleiton Duarte Submission (guillotine choke) São José Super Fight 2

São José, Brazil Win

Sebastian Vidal TKO (punches)

Win

Diego Vieria Submission (armbar)

Win

William Dias TKO (retirement) Monster Black Combat 1

Rio Grande, Brazil Win

Sebastian de Oliveira Jr. TKO (punches) São José Super Fight 1

São José, Brazil Win

Lucas Nascimento TKO (knee injury)

Win

Deivid Santos KO (head kick)

Loss

Leonardo Mafra TKO (punches) Centurion Mixed Martial Arts 2

Itajai, Brazil Win

Geverson Pereira Submission (choke) Brazilian Fight League 9

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Yuri Fraga Decision (unanimous) Amazon Fight 5

Belém, Brazil Win

Felipe Santos TKO (punches) Expo FC 1

Sorocaba, Brazil Win

Henrique Inseto TKO (punches) Hero Kombat 1

São Sebastião, Brazil Win

Ezequiel Ricci Decision (unanimous) Real Fights 7

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Andrez Jimenez Submission (rear-naked choke) Argentina FC 2

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Diego Lopez Submission (guillotine choke) Explosion Fight Night 2

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Matias Sosa Submission (kimura) Real Fights 6

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Emiliano Candau TKO (punches) Cupide del MMA 2

Santa Fe, Argentina Win

Lucas Funes Submission (rear-naked choke) Cupide del MMA 1

Santa Fe, Argentina Win

Gaston Micucci KO (head kick) Copa Desafio 1

Buenos Aires, Argentina Win

Leonardo Santos Decision (unanimous)

N/A(airdate)

Win

Cleiton Duarte Decision (unanimous) N/A (airdate)

Win

Márcio Santos TKO (punches) N/A (airdate)

Win

Thiago Silva TKO (punches) (airdate)