What is Santiago Ponzinibbio's fighting style?

Santiago ‘Argentine Dagger’ Ponzinibbio is one of the very few fighters from Argentina that competes in the UFC. The 38-year-old mixed martial artist made his first walk to the UFC octagon against Ryan LaFlare back in 2013. Since then, the Argentinian has been consistently featured in multiple UFC events including headlining fights against Neil Magny and Gunnar Nelson. Ponzinibbio is best known for his performances against Mike Perry and Neil Magny. So far in his UFC tenure, Ponzinibbio has bagged bonuses 6 times. After his win over Neil Magny in 2018, Ponzibbio took a long break from fighting to deal with a staph infection and the pandemic.

The ‘Argentine Dagger’ is set to make his next outing on January 11, 2025, against Carlston Harris at UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Ribas in Las Vegas, United States.

Santiago Ponzinibbio's fighting style

Santiago Ponzinibbio is known for his aggressive striking fighting style. He also boasts a strong background in grappling, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Argentinian’s striking is heavily influenced by his kickboxing background in his early years. So far in his professional career, Ponzinibbio has won via knockouts 16 times, all thanks to his mastery in the striking department. The welterweight contender’s elite ground game has also produced 6 wins via submissions.

Santiago Ponzinibbio's UFC losses

Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez (July 13, 2024)

Ponzinibbio lost a split decision to Muslim Salikhov after a three-rounder.

Kevin Holland at UFC 287 (April 8, 2023)

Ponzinibbio was knocked out by Kevin Holland at 3:16 of the third round​.

Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira (May 21, 2022)

Ponzinibbio lost a split decision to Michel Pereira after a competitive three-round bout​.

Geoff Neal at UFC 269 (December 11, 2021)

Ponzinibbio lost a close split decision to Geoff Neal in a back-and-forth fight​.

Li Jingliang at UFC on ABC 1 (January 16, 2021)

Ponzinibbio was knocked out by Li Jingliang at 4:25 of the first round​​.

Lorenz Larkin at UFC Fight Night 70 (June 27, 2015)

Ponzinibbio lost to Lorenz Larkin via TKO in the second round​​.

Ryan LaFlare at UFC Fight Night 32 (November 9, 2013)

In his UFC debut, Ponzinibbio was defeated by Ryan LaFlare via unanimous decision after three rounds​.

*Last updated on December 29, 2024.