Ponzinibbio wins 'war' in the octagon and breaks unbeaten promise at UFC Vegas 28

S. Ponzinibbio won a battle against M. Baeza in the UFC Las Vegas 28. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

A fight to make history. On the main card of UFC Las Vegas 28, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Miguel Baeza put on a real show in the octagon. In a confrontation marked by frank exchanges, the Argentine showed courage and managed to overcome difficulties against an opponent who had been undefeated until then. After three rounds, the former TUF fighter was declared the winner with a unanimous decision by the judges.

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The result means more than just another victory on Santiago's record. With the triumph over Baeza, the Argentine once again has a positive result after more than two years. With frequent injuries, the athlete was out of action from the end of 2018 to the beginning of 2021. On his return, the 'Argentino Gente Boa' ended up being severely knocked out by li jingliang.

Now, Ponzinibbio, who was already among the welterweight elite (up to 77kg), is once again dreaming of the top of the category, which, today, is led by Kamaru Usman. Excited after the confrontation, the athlete, still in the Octagon, spoke about his great achievement.

“I didn’t fight for 26 months. (…) In the last fight, I was caught with a blow. (…) In the first round, I was just warming up”, said the Argentine before being direct when asked about the hard kicks he suffered on the leg. "My leg? I don't mind. (…) I was in the hospital, receiving antibiotics (injected). (…) The doctor said that maybe I would fight again. Do you think I care about my leg? He (Baeza) would need to kill me (to win)”, he said.

With the triumph, Ponzinibbio resumes his good form and has eight victories in his last nine fights.

Even defeated, Baeza showed a lot of quality against the Argentine. At 28 years old, the promise ended up defeated for the first time in his career. Previously, the fighter had 10 consecutive victories.

The fight

Ponzinibbio started the duel aggressively, trying to pressure his opponent with strikes close to the cage. Baeza tried to keep the Argentine away with low kicks. The American tried to 'take' Santiago's base, but the athlete continued chasing his opponent around the Octagon. In the final seconds, Miguel grew in the fight and connected consecutive jabs and straight shots to Ponzinibbio's face. Santiago tried to respond with a high kick, but the athlete received a counterattack with a low kick and a direct kick, which shook the fighter. Towards the end of the stage, the Argentine responded to his opponent's combinations, attacking with a sequence of punches, but there was no more time.

In the second stage, Miguel continued to bet on low kicks. The attacks began to bother the Argentine, who began to swing with each attack. The minutes passed and Baeza continued to make use of his greater reach, connecting the most powerful blows. Even at a disadvantage, the Argentine showed danger in counterattacks, with rights and jabs. The duel became a straightforward duel, with the athletes exchanging attacks in the center of the Octagon. Unlike the first round, Santiago loosened up in the final minutes, while Miguel saved his strikes. Ponzinibbio continued to score with jabs, which landed cleanly in his opponent's face, but the timer ran to zero.

The last round started with Santiago trying to break through Baeza's block with jabs. The North American appeared to be more tired and the Argentine tried to take advantage. The confrontation continued to be intensely disputed. To all attacks, there was an immediate response from one of the athletes. Halfway through the round, Miguel attacked with a sequence of straight shots and low kicks, but the Argentine responded in kind. Near the final minute, the fighters accepted the frank exchange in the center of the octagon. With clean punches exchanged, the combatants did not surrender and tried to achieve a knockout at all costs. In the final seconds, the 'war' ensued, but there was no more time.

Tybura endures initial punishment and turns on Harris

M. Tybura knocked out W. Harris in the UFC Las Vegas 28. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

A big upset marked the co-main fight of the UFC Las Vegas 28. In the clash between heavyweights (up to 120,2kg.), Marcin tybura endured a real punishment imposed by Walt Harris at the beginning of the first round. The Pole, however, did not give up and managed to impose his game against his opponent. After recovering from his rival's harsh attacks, the fighter met and found a knockout at the end of the stage.

The turnaround began after Marcin saved a shot made by Walt and took the fight to the ground. In a dominant position, Tybura started to land the best blows. With his opponent facing the ground, the Pole started attacking him with punches to the head, until the referee decided to stop the fight, as Harris showed no reaction.

With the triumph, Tybura confirmed the good phase of the organization. Now, there are five consecutive victories. The athlete must also take eighth place in the ranking, previously dominated by the opponent.

Walt's defeat complicated the heavyweight situation in the organization. Now, the athlete has three negative results.

UFC Las Vegas 28 results

MAIN CARD

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Jairzinho Rozenstruik derrotou August Sakai by knockout at 4m59s of R1

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg):  Marcin tybura derrotou Walt Harris by technical knockout at 4m06s of R1

Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Roman Dolidze derrotou Laureano Staropoli in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Welterweight (up to 77,1kg):  Santiago Ponzinibbio defeated Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Average weight (up to 83,9kg): gregory rodrigues derrotou Dusko Todorovic in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg):  rose mountain derrotou Ariane Lipski by technical knockout at 4m27s of R2

PRELIMINARY CARD

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Ilir Latifi derrotou Tanner Boser in the judges' split decision (29-28, 27-29, 29-28)

Welterweight (up to 77,1kg): muslim salikhov derrotou Francisco Massaranduba in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Kamuela Kirk won mawan amirkhani by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 and 29-28)

Light Weight (up to 70,3kg): Alan Nuguette x Mason Jones ended in a No Contest (No Result) due to a finger in the eye from Jones in Nuguette at 40sec. from R2

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Manon Fiorot derrotou Tabatha Ricci by technical knockout 3m from R2

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Sean Woodson derrotou Youssef Zalal in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Light Weight (up to 70,3kg): Claudio Puelles placeholder image derrotou Jordan Leavitt in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)