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We are about three months away from UFC 245, but the promotion is already starting to stack the deck for its final pay-per-view (PPV) event of the year, which is set to go down on Dec. 14, 2019, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Indeed, the promotion has added a violence-inducing Welterweight bout between former 170-pound champion, Robbie Lawler, against top-ranked division contender, Santiago Ponzinibbio, according to MMA Junkie.
Nevertheless, the exciting match up could raise eyebrows because of how each combatant has performed over the last several years inside the Octagon. Lawler is currently on a three-fight losing streak — the longest of his career — and was last seen coming up short against ex-interim title holder, Colby Covington (recap).
Prior to that, “Ruthless” dropped consecutive fights to Rafael dos Anjos and Ben Askren. That said, Lawler’s last win came in July 2017, which means he is in big need of a win if he want’s to remain relevant in the 170-pound mix.
Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, has been doing work since 2015, reeling off seven straight victories and winning nine of his last 10 bouts inside the Octagon. During his run, the Argentinean has earned victories over Gunnar Nelson, Mike Perry and was last seen knocking out Neil Magny in Nov. 2019.
Despite his impressive win streak, Ponzinibbio has been unable to crack the Top 5 or get close to a title shot because the division is perhaps the most stacked and competitive under UFC’s banner. And a win over a former champion like Lawler could be just what he needs to get over the top.
Early predictions?
As it stands, UFC 245 is set to feature a women’s Featherweight title fight as dual-champion, Amanda Nunes, defends her strap against Germaine de Randamie. In addition, Jessica Eye will face Viviane Araujo in women’s Flyweight action. Interestingly enough, Conor McGregor recently posted a cryptic tweet leading many to believe that he could be gearing up for his mixed martial arts (MMA) return on Dec. 14, 2019. And even though we are still more than 90 days from fight night, this PPV card sure could use a bit more star-power if the promotion wants to end the year with gusto.