Santiago Ponzinibbio looking to debut "new version" of himself against Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night [Exclusive]

Santiago Ponzinibbio will be facing Muslim Salikhov in UFC Fight Night: Barber vs. Namajunas

In the world of mixed martial arts, few stories are as inspiring as that of Santiago Ponzinibbio. As he prepares to face Muslim Salikhov at UFC Fight Night: Barber vs. Namajunas, Ponzinibbio opens up about his excitement, the transformative power of the sport, and his confidence in his abilities.

The anticipation surrounding Ponzinibbio’s upcoming fight is palpable. When asked about his feelings towards the bout, Ponzinibbio couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.

He said, “I’m super excited, brother. I’m so happy with the fight because I took a lot of time to get back to the octagon, and I’m back in a super new version. I’ve changed my body, you know, I feel mentally pretty much better. And I want to show them I’m ready to fight with the best fighters in the world. And I’m super, super happy. And I’m super excited. This is a great opening, very dangerous and technical, but I’m really believing in my work and I’m ready to award and I’m ready to show how wonderful I am.”

Living life as a fighter is a “style of life”

The journey to becoming a mixed martial artist is often driven by deep motivations. For Ponzinibbio, it’s about more than just the sport.

He said, “I think this is the style of life, you know, we are fighting for life. We practice a lot of different martial arts and we learn different modalities. But when you jump inside the cage, it’s completely different. It’s not only about the technical work; you need to have an instinct, you need to have a heart. You need to have character inside the cage, personality, also mentality. We are fighters, not only inside the cage but for life. The same activity we have inside the octagon, we have to do in life’s adversities.”

Ponzinibbio’s dedication to mixed martial arts has had a profound impact on his life. He reflected on how the sport has shaped him: “It taught me a lot in my personal life because when you start to expose yourself to the pressure, the fear, the excitement when you have goals and you’re working so hard, a lot of things happen between you and the goal. And when you continue forward and keep doing your stuff, it’s amazing. It transforms your personality and gives you something extra.”

Also Read: UFC Fight Night: Barber vs Namajunas: Fight Card, Date, Time, Telecast & Live Streaming Info

Santiago Ponzinibbio speaks up on the losses he faced in his career

Every fighter experiences ups and downs in their career, and Ponzinibbio is no exception. Reflecting on his last fight against Kevin Holland, he acknowledged the challenges.

He said, “Yeah, it’s part of the game. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. I didn’t go far. He caught me with a good punch, and that’s what happens in this sport. Four-ounce gloves, you know. I fall and I get up. Of course, it’s a very bad feeling, but that’s the grace of this sport. When we win, we’re happy for a few days, then we’re thinking about the next step. When we lose, it stays with us, but I try to learn from every fight, win or lose, and move forward.”

When it comes to his upcoming opponent, Muslim Salikhov, Ponzinibbio has a clear strategy and confidence in his abilities. “I think he’s a pretty good fighter. He has power, good spinning attacks, good striking. But I know what he is going to do, and I work on that. The focus is on my abilities—my pressure, my boxing, my volume. I know I’m a better fighter. I have more abilities to beat this guy. I’m very confident in what we do, and I believe we will take the victory this Saturday.”

Santiago Ponzinibbio spoke on how a “new version” of him is going to raise the stake at UFC Fight Night

Ponzinibbio’s career is marked by impressive victories and valuable lessons learned from defeats. He shared insights into his perspective on losses and continuous improvement.

He said, “We learn from victories and losses. When you lose, you try to catch the mistakes because you didn’t get the result you wanted. Sometimes when you win, you just keep moving forward. My losses are very competitive fights against tough opponents. I’ve never lost a fight where I was dominated for 15 minutes. It’s always competitive. I always learn and try to improve. I feel that I’m a competitive fighter at 170 pounds, and right now, I’ve made good adjustments. People will see a new version of Santiago Ponzinibbio this Saturday.”

Finally, when asked about the pound-for-pound controversy and Dana White’s praise for Jon Jones, Ponzinibbio chose to stay neutral. “I think the rankings are a little weird, the decisions on the rankings. I don’t know. Sometimes we see things we don’t agree with. But I don’t have much to say about that.”

This was all Santiago had to say exclusively to the Khel Now team. What do you think will Ponzinibbio dominate the fight against Salikhov or will Salikhov turn the tide, do let us know in the comments.

Tune in to watch UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. Cortez on 14th July 2024 at 7:30 AM IST LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu).

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