Santiago Ponzinibbio hold up the Argentina flag following a win in 2017.
Santiago Ponzinibbio wants Tyron Woodley next
Santiago Ponzinibbio is a streaking welterweight contender. However, he couldn’t get a fight booked. But recently, it appeared he was going to fight Rafael dos Anjos. Although the fight made a lot of sense and both fighters called for it, Ponzinibbio says dos Anjos doesn’t really want that fight.
“The reality is, dos Anjos said in the media that he wanted this fight, but he doesn’t,” Ponzinibbio told MMA Fighting. “He doesn’t want this fight, he never asked for it in the U.S., never made any noise to make it happen. He asked for it in Brazil so he wouldn’t look like a p****, but the truth is he doesn’t want to fight me.
“I need to fight, man. This is one of the best moments of my career. I’m ready to become (a) world champion and I don’t want to stay inactive. Since dos Anjos really doesn’t want to fight me, I think Tyron Woodley is a great fight. I’ve shown time and time again I’m ready to become champion.”
If Ponzinibbio does indeed get the Woodley fight as he hopes for, he is confident he would win the fight. As well, he wouldn’t just win it but would finish Woodley something Kamaru Usman couldn’t do in their fight.
“I’ve done more than Tyron did when he first fought for the belt. I believe I’m ready to fight him,” Ponzinibbio said. “I will knock Tyron out. Then I’ll fight for the title and knock Usman out. I will be the next welterweight champion in 2019.”
In the end, Ponzinbbio is riding a seven-fight winning streak and deserves a top-three opponent. If he gets that, he knows he will win and then get his title shot and become the new UFC welterweight champion. For now, he is just waiting on Woodley to hopefully accept his callout.
