Santiago Ponzinibbio is excited to be part of the UFC’s first card of 2025, as it presents an opportunity for him to potentially compete four times this year. However, he is frustrated by his recent record of 1-4 in his last five fights inside the octagon.
Once a contender for the welterweight title after a remarkable seven-fight win streak from 2015 to 2018, Ponzinibbio believes he has been unfairly judged in some of his latest bouts. Since 2021, his only win was a bonus-winning knockout against Alex Morono, surrounded by three split-decision losses and one stoppage.
“I have to use this [anger] to my advantage,” Ponzinibbio told MMA Fighting ahead of his upcoming co-main event matchup with Carlston Harris at UFC Vegas 101. He expressed his frustration over what he perceives as two wrongful decisions in his career, particularly against Michel Pereira and Muslim Salikhov. “It pisses me off that I lost three split decisions—fights I’m confident I won. But I use that as fire; fire to focus on training and adjust for the next one. I can’t complain or cry about it; I have to move forward.”
Ponzinibbio is looking forward to a busy year in 2025 and aims for a decisive victory this weekend at the UFC APEX. A win could set him up for a fight at UFC 314, a pay-per-view event scheduled for April 5 in Miami. Ideally, he would like to avenge one of his recent close losses closer to his Florida home.
“I would be down to rematch any fighter that unfortunately I wasn’t able to win against,” Ponzinibbio said. “We know it’s hard to get rematches in the UFC; it’s not that simple. But let’s see what the plans are for the company in 2025. What I really want this year is to secure a good win on Saturday—a clean victory—and stay active. I want to fight three, or even four times, since I’m on the first card. That’s the goal now.”
Harris, Ponzinibbio’s opponent at UFC Vegas 101, is also seeking to get back on track in the UFC. Based in Brazil, “Moçambique” has achieved finishes in three of his four wins but suffered a knockout loss to Khaos Williams in his latest fight. His other defeat in the UFC was at the hands of potential future welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“He’s a complete guy, very long, with good arm-triangle chokes, so he’s definitely dangerous,” Ponzinibbio commented. “I know he won’t be easy to beat, but I’m focused on my game. I have the power to knock him out and the skills to beat him on the ground, too. I’m very experienced and have been working on my wrestling for a long time. I’m prepared to fight in all areas, but I believe I’ll knock him out.”
Regardless of how the fight unfolds, Ponzinibbio emphasized that he would do everything in his power to ensure it doesn’t go the distance to avoid further heartbreaks.
“We watched my last fights, particularly the last one, and talked to the team about what we can do to secure a clear knockout and prevent a repeat of my earlier outcomes,” Ponzinibbio explained. “My entire camp was centered on that goal. I’m pleased with my preparation, and I’m ready to achieve a clean victory—whether by knockout or, if that’s not possible, by being clear and dominant.”
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