After there were reports that Santiago Ponzinibbio would fight Neil Magny in the main event of UFC Chile, more reliable sources have claimed that Kamaru Usman will be on the poster rather than Magny.
Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported the news that the UFC Chile main event negotiations are moving in the direction of making Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Kamaru Usman a reality.
Kamaru Usman has struggled to get a step up in competition because, in his own words, he’s a problem. Santiago Ponzinibbio has also been a big problem for his opponents recently, winning his last six fights decisively en route to a top 10 ranking. Now two of the hottest welterweights around will cross paths in South America.
Usman is arguably the most promising welterweight prospect in the division, dominating every opponent set in his way in the Octagon, with a 7-0 UFC record. The Henri Hooft trained fighter has looked great in performances on both the feet and especially on the ground. Usman has earned wins over Emil Meek, Leon Edwards, and Sean Strickland on his way to the seventh ranking in the division.
The Argentinian Santiago Ponzinibbio got off to a 2-2 start in his Octagon career, losing to standouts Ryan LaFlare and Lorenz Larkin. Since then, Ponzinibbio has rattled off an impressive six consecutive wins, including victories over Gunnar Nelson and Mike Perry. Gente Boa has been in the spotlight for those as well, headlining a card against Gunnar, and appearing on a FOX main card against Mike Perry.
UFC Fight Night 129 will take place on May 19, inside the Movistar Arena of Santiago, Chile. Alongside the Usman vs. Ponzinibbio main event, Volkan Oezdemir will look to get top contender status again against veteran Shogun Rua, Jared Cannonier will face rising light heavyweight Dominick Reyes, and young strawweights Alexa Grasso and Tatiana Suarez will face off.
