Santiago Ponzinibbio got his hand raised for the first time since November 2018 on Saturday when he beat Miguel Baeza at UFC Fight Night 189.
In a bout that was highly anticipated coming in for its “Fight of the Night” potential, the pair delivered in a big way with a thrilling contest. In the end, Ponzinibbio (28-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) had the more effective work, and he got the unanimous decision win over Baeza (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28.
Fight of the night? Month? Year?
What a way to end this scrap! #UFCVegas28 pic.twitter.com/4eCJCePUHi
— UFC (@ufc) June 6, 2021
The welterweight bout was part of the UFC Fight Night 189 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
Both men immediately looked to find their range to start off the contest. Ponzinibbio pressured and tried to work his way into the pocket with strikes, while Baeza presented a more kick-heavy approach, going to the legs and body of his opponent. The leg kicks had a big impact, as Baeza compromised his foe. Ponzinibbio closed the round with a long flurry of punches, but only a few got through.
Baeza went right back to kicking the lead leg of Ponzinibbio to start the second round. The Argentinian showed real grit, marching forward and throwing combinations back to deter Baeza’s output. Just when it seemed Baeza might pull away with it, Ponzinibbio upped his output even more and ended the round strong with punches.
With the fight potentially up for grabs going into the final frame, Ponzinibbio found some of his best work. His jab started to land with more frequency and he checked some of the kicks coming his way from Baeza, who started to get a little sloppy. Ponzinibbio landed some hard kicks of his own, and they slugged it out until the final bell to close out the epic clash.
“I know one day I’m going to be champion,” Ponzinibbio said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “For Argentina, for my people.”
After 26 months away from the sport due to injuries and medical issues, Ponzinibbio lost his comeback fight against Li Jingliang in January. He bounced back and is now 8-1 in his past nine.
Baeza, meanwhile, saw his undefeated record receive its first blemish.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 189 results include:
- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Miguel Baeza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gregory Rodrigues def. Dusko Todorovic via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Montana De La Rosa def. Ariane Lipski via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:27
- Ilir Latifi def. Tanner Boser via split decision (29-28, 27-29, 29-28)
- Muslim Salikhov def. Francisco Trinaldo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kamuela Kirk def. Makwan Amirkhani via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mason Jones vs. Alan Patrick declared no contest (accidental eye poke on Patrick)
- Manon Fiorot def. Tabatha Ricci via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:00
- Sean Woodson def. Youssef Zalal via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Claudio Puelles def. Jordan Leavitt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)