At UFC Winnipeg, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Mike Perry fought in a bloody, and ultimately very entertaining three round war.
In a key welterweight match-up at UFC on FOX 26, Mike Perry looked to break into the divisional rankings against tenth ranked Santiago Ponzinibbio. Perry entered the bout on a two-fight win streak, with victories over Jake Ellenberger and Alex Reyes. Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, had won five straight. His last outing, however, ended in controversy due to an eye poke to opponent Gunnar Nelson.
Round one started out with a feeling out process, and though Perry was up there in the UFC’s knockdown list, it was Ponzinibbio knocking down Perry in the first round. He executed a solid stick and move game plan, though as the round progressed, Perry was able to catch him with a hard kick to the body, and attack with strikes. Ponzinibbio refused to let himself be caught flat-footed, however, and was nowhere to be found for follow-up strikes.
Round two moved into a back-and-forth bloody war, with both men connecting with hard shots and landing clean throughout. Perry was bloodied and hurt, but he stormed back, tagging Ponzinibbio along the fence, stunning him. The third round saw the battle continue, with Perry trying out a spinning attack, and Ponzinibbio working his jab. His outside leg kick also continued to be a factor; Perry then landed a big left only to be floored with a spinning back fist. He worked his way back up, Ponzinibbio then took Perry down along the fence. Though ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry made it back up again, Ponzinibbio took him right back down, and at that point, every second was becoming precious. They’d get back to the feet to finish out the round, with Perry scoring with a big left, and Ponzinibbio landing one last head kick.
When it came down to the scorecards, Ponzinibbio’s strong finish gave him the nod, with all three judges scoring it 29-28 in his favor.
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Mike Perry by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
