With the biggest opportunity of his career before him, Santiago Ponzinibbio made no mistake, hacking away at Neil Magny before knocking him out in round four at UFC Argentina.
Santiago Ponzinibbio had one major accomplishment under his belt the second he stepped into the cage on Saturday night: he became the first Argentinian fighter to headline a UFC card in his home country. Yet that was only half the battle. The key was earning a win in the UFC Argentina main event. The man opposite him, the deceptively tough, always crafty Neil Magny.
Magny took to the outside early, heavy on the lateral movement. Ponzinibbio was equally light on his feet, equally quick, and soon showed a burst of speed, coming in with a right hand. It seemed to scramble Magny’s vision, as he continually brought his hand up to his right eye. Ponzinibbio kept the pressure on, letting his hands fly, then unleashing a whip-like leg kick. Jabs. Right hooks. Magny fired off a leg kick of his own, the most significant blow he’d landed to that point. Yet he remained on his heels, Ponzinibbio walking him down, in control for nearly the entire round. A heavy right hand connected with seconds to go, and Magny was covering up! Ponzinibbio swarmed, but the bell rang, with a left hand landing a shade late to the annoyance of Magny.
Not a good round for Neil Magny, and he’d need to regroup and rethink his approach heading into the second. As for Ponzinibbio, it was hard to find fault with his approach at all. Yet it was Magny coming out, jab firing, early in the second, putting the Argentinian on his heels for the first time in the fight. A big leg kick felled Magny, only for Ponzinibbio to allow him back to his feet. Soon he was backing Magny up again, and another leg kick took Magny’s feet out from under him. His movement was clearly hampered, mobility a theme in the main event just as it had been in the co-main event.
On the feet, Magny was getting lit up. His eye continued to bother him. His leg was unsteady. An accidental headbutt opened a nasty gash on the Argentinian, but the fight continued. Ponzinibbio had Magny cornered by the end of the second, rocking the American with a jab.
The most surprising thing about the second round was that it went the distance. Magny was in dire straits heading into the third. Ponzinibbio continued to walk him down. Magny was wild when he did throw, trying to cover his eye and keep Ponzinibbio away from his lead leg. That failed; Ponzinibbio lashed out at it again, and Magny was hopping. Somehow, he gutted it out through the rest of the round, despite eating yet another crushing leg kick from Ponzinibbio.
These leg kicks 😳 #UFCArgentina pic.twitter.com/Yq6HWPAZf7
— UFC (@ufc) November 18, 2018
Round four saw Magny dropped not once but twice by leg kicks. Then a third time. Magny was in clear pain. Referee Herb Dean warned Magny to fight back. He did, just barely, but the end came soon after. A wounded Magny, on essentially one leg, like a sitting duck ate a punch from Santiago Ponzinibbio that landed with a crunch. The right to the jaw saw Magny crash forward, landing on the canvas face down. He showed heart, but ultimately, Ponzinibbio was going to have his moment in his home country.
In his home country!
On his biggest stage! #UFCArgentina pic.twitter.com/VZfoBNCle2
— UFC (@ufc) November 18, 2018
Afterward, Pinzinibbio called for a title shot sometime in 2019. While it might not be in the UFC’s immediate plans, a performance like that is bound to turn heads.
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Neil Magny by knockout, Round 4, 2:36
