Michel Pereira lands top-15 opponent in Santiago Ponzinibbio for upcoming UFC card
UFC welterweight fan-favorite fighter Michel Pereira has landed a top-15 opponent in Santiago Ponzinibbio for an upcoming UFC card.
Reporter John Morgan of The Underground was the first to break the news that Pereira vs. Ponzinibbio will take place at a UFC Fight Night card set for May 21. The event does not currently have a location.
Pereira (27-11, 2 NC) joined the UFC back in 2019 and he is 5-2 overall since then, including his current four-fight win streak. Pereira has beaten the likes of Niko Price, Khaos Williams, and Danny Roberts during his UFC run, with his only losses coming against Tristan Connelly and Diego Sanchez. Despite already having 40 professional MMA bouts, Pereira is only 28 years old, so he still has room for improvement despite all of his experience in the Octagon already. He has always been one of the flashiest strikers in the welterweight division, but he has been rounding out his game and improving his cardio.
Ponzinibbio (28-5) is the No. 14 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 35-year-old Argentinian has been in the UFC since 2013 and he has a 10-4 record during that stretch inside the Octagon. Some of his most notable wins include Neil Magny, Mike Perry, Gunnar Nelson, and Miguel Baeza, with losses to Geoff Neal, Li Jingliang, Lorenz Larkin, and Ryan LaFlare. Overall Ponzinibbio has been one of the best welterweights in the UFC for the past five years, and he will be defending his rankings in this fight.
The odds should be competitive in this one. With Ponzinibbio the ranked fighter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the books open him as a slight favorite here. That being said, Pereira has been on fire lately, so given he has the momentum heading into this fight, expect the odds to be very close here.
Who do you think wins this welterweight bout between Michel Pereira and Santiago Ponzinibbio?
