S.Ponzinibbio celebrates in the octagon after one of his victories. Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Back in the octagon after just over two years, Santiago Ponzinnibio still feels the effects of the defeat to li jingliang, in January. After seeing his seven-game winning streak broken and leaving the top 10 in the middleweight category (up to 77kg) due to inactivity, the Argentine continues to process the negative result. In an interview with the North American website 'MMA Junkie', the 'Argentine Gente Boa' spoke about the moment.
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“Without a doubt, it was the hardest defeat of my career because of the winning streak I was on, there was a lot at stake and I had been away for a long time. If I had won, I would have gone on an eight-win streak and would have been back at the top,” said the ex.TUF Brazil2.
Even with the adverse result of the last fight, Ponzinibbio remains confident of becoming champion of the category soon. The 34-year-old athlete believes that the defeat was a fatality and assured that this does not change his confidence in his work and even believes that he can beat the current champion, Kamaru Usman.
“I think my level is among the best in the division and I have everything it takes to be champion. I think if tomorrow I fight Kamaru Usman, I have a chance to knock him out, I have a chance to beat him. I know he's great and everyone in top 10 are good. I don't want to disrespect anyone, but I think I can beat them all. I am very confident in my work. This fight doesn’t change anything for me”, he concluded.
Ponzinibbio has been in the UFC since 2013, when he participated in the second edition of the reality show 'The Ultimate Fighter Brasil'. For the organization chaired by Dana White, there are already 12 fights with nine wins and three losses. Currently, Santiago has no fight scheduled.
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