Tag: Santiago Ponzinibbio

Fighters React To Pereira Outlasting Ponzinibbio At UFC Vegas 55

Michel Pereira is now on a five-fight win streak after defeating Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Vegas 55 tonight. Pereira earned a razor-thin split decision victory in what was an absolute war with Ponzinibbio. Round one took place on the feet, with Pereira getting the best of the action. And the Brazilian continued to cause problems…

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Michel Pereira is now on a five-fight win streak after defeating Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC Vegas 55 tonight.

Pereira earned a razor-thin split decision victory in what was an absolute war with Ponzinibbio. Round one took place on the feet, with Pereira getting the best of the action. And the Brazilian continued to cause problems for Ponzinibbio in round two before the Argentine answered with some huge strikes and a late takedown.

Then in round three, both fighters emptied the gas tank as they went back and forth trading huge strikes, putting on a display that is surely a contender for round of the year. With this win over the #14-ranked welterweight Ponzinibbio, we can expect Pereira to enter the division’s top 15 in the coming days.

You can catch all the highlights of the co-main event below.

This was Michel Pereira’s fifth win in a row.

Now, let’s see how fighters reacted to Pereira’s victory over Ponzinibbio at UFC Vegas 55.

UFC Vegas 55: Holm vs. Vieira Results & Highlights

MMA News is providing ongoing coverage of UFC Vegas 55. We’ve got you covered with live results, video highlights, and post-fight tidbits.

Continue Reading Fighters React To Pereira Outlasting Ponzinibbio At UFC Vegas 55 at MMA News.

Michel Pereira Defeats Santiago Ponzinibbio In Split Decision War – UFC Vegas 55 Highlights

Michel PereiraMichel Pereira continues his run through the welterweight ranks of the UFC — this time securing the most high-profile victory of his Octagon tenure in the form of a hard-fought split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory against Argentine veteran, Santiago Ponzinibbio in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 55. Pereira, who entered tonight’s co-main event […]

Michel Pereira

Michel Pereira continues his run through the welterweight ranks of the UFC — this time securing the most high-profile victory of his Octagon tenure in the form of a hard-fought split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory against Argentine veteran, Santiago Ponzinibbio in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 55.

Pereira, who entered tonight’s co-main event slot against Ponzinibbio off the back of his February win over recent winner, Portuguese standout, Andre Fialho, managed to get the better of the Argentinian in the opening frame, before giving up the second round in a largely tight and close fight throughout.

Landing impactful strikes in the third, Pereira managed to leave the UFC Apex facility with his winning streak in tact — and now riding a five fight surge, Pereira echoed call outs of former welterweight title challenger, Jorge Masvidal, and Stockton fan favorite, Nate Diaz.

Below, catch the highlights from Michel Pereira’s battle with Santiago Ponzinibbio

Geoff Neal Says DWI Arrest Is ‘Not As Serious As They Make It Out To Be’

Geoff Neal may have recently been arrested on a DWI and weapons charge, but he is not letting that distract him from his fight at UFC 269.

It was recently reported that Neal had been arrested in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day and was facing mi…

Geoff Neal Arrest

Geoff Neal may have recently been arrested on a DWI and weapons charge, but he is not letting that distract him from his fight at UFC 269.

It was recently reported that Neal had been arrested in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day and was facing misdemeanor charges of DWI and unlawful carrying of a weapon. While he was released on bail several hours later, this did cause a bit of concern about the future of his UFC 269 fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio, which was scheduled to take place just 16 days after his arrest.

Now it has become clear that Neal will still fight at UFC 269 and was tasked with speaking to media ahead of this contest. Here, he opened up about what happened for the first time since his arrest. He did not want to comment much on the specifics but cleared the air on some issues.

“No comments on what really went down,” Neal said during the UFC 269 media day (h/t MMAFighting). “I haven’t been charged with any crime yet.

“Pretty much they had probable cause, and instead of doing the Breathalyzer, I chose to do the blood [test]. So I’m waiting on the results to come back on that and we’ll go from there.”

Geoff Neal
Photo courtesy of Collins County Sheriff’s Department

As far as the weapons charges go, Geoff Neal explained the gun found with him was registered to him legally. He felt that the reports about the situation were somewhat misleading, and were blowing things out of proportion.

“It was just a one-night thing,” Neal said. “Just decided to kick back and relax with my girlfriend. Had a few drinks and then there’s a situation that happened and then cops got involved. I did have my weapon on me. My weapon, it’s legal. It’s licensed in my name. They made it look like I had a MAC-10 in my lap, driving around drunk or something.

“It’s not as serious as they make it out to be. It’s not like I was drunk off my ass, hungover, just running the streets. It was a one-time thing.”

That said, there are fans of Geoff Neal, who may be concerned about his focus on training ahead of this fight, considering how far along he was in training camp when being arrested for a DWI. He assures that there is no reason to be concerned and that it was a one-time thing that was not indicative of how hard he trained.

“Not really [a distraction],” Neal said. “It is what it is. I’m the dumbass that did that so I’ve got to deal with it.”

Geoff Neal will be returning to action this weekend against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. Only then will fans be able to tell what impact, if any, this incident has had on him.

Watch his full media scrum below:

Continue Reading Geoff Neal Says DWI Arrest Is ‘Not As Serious As They Make It Out To Be’ at MMA News.

Geoff Neal Arrested On DWI, Weapons Charges Days Out From UFC 269

Geoff Neal has experienced a bit of a rough patch ahead of his UFC 269 bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Neal is looking to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time in his career, by facing Ponzinibbio in the UFC’s final pay-per…

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal has experienced a bit of a rough patch ahead of his UFC 269 bout with Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Neal is looking to get back on track after losing two in a row for the first time in his career, by facing Ponzinibbio in the UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year. However, he will be doing so just days after having spent time in jail following an arrest in Texas.

According to reports, Neal was picked up by the Texas Department of Public Safety at 3:47 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, just 16 days before his upcoming bout at UFC 269. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying a weapon.

Geoff Neal was then taken to the Collin County Jail, in McKinney, where he was processed. After facing a bail amount of $1,000 for each charge, he was released from jail just after 8 p.m., that very same day.

At the time of writing, it appears that Neal will still be facing Ponzinibbio on December 11th. Additionally, neither he nor the UFC has released an official statement regarding this incident.

Geoff Neal is in need of a big win, after suffering back-to-back losses to Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny, which derailed his seven-fight winning streak. Prior to that, he was in the ICU for about a week dealing with septicemia, a blood infection that could have easily cost him his life.

Time will tell if this incident in Texas will have any effect on Neal’s conditioning for the fight or is an indication of the way his training camp went.

Continue Reading Geoff Neal Arrested On DWI, Weapons Charges Days Out From UFC 269 at MMA News.

Geoff Neal Promises “Fireworks” Against Ponzinibbio At UFC 269

UFC welterweight Geoff Neal says someone’s either getting slept or getting hurt when he enters the Octagon with Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269.

Neal will be in action for the second time this year when he faces the Argentinian on December 11. In h…

Geoff Neal, Santiago Ponzinibbio

UFC welterweight Geoff Neal says someone’s either getting slept or getting hurt when he enters the Octagon with Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269.

Neal will be in action for the second time this year when he faces the Argentinian on December 11. In his previous outing, the 31-year-old fell on the wrong side of a decision against fellow contender Neil Magny. His defeat to “The Haitian Sensation” set him on his first losing streak of his 17-fight professional MMA career. He’d lost a five-round main event to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson five months prior.

While Neal looks to bring back the form that had him unbeaten at 5-0 in the UFC, including wins over Belal Muhammad, Niko Price, and Mike Perry, Ponzinibbio will be looking to carry the momentum from his last appearance into the final pay-per-view of 2021.

After returning from a two-year absence with a brutal knockout loss to Li Jingliang in January, the “Argentine Dagger” had his hand raised for the first time since 2018 when he outpointed Miguel Baeza in June. While he looks to make another step up the welterweight ladder, Neal will be looking to use the 35-year-old as a route back to form.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVbdw_dtdWv/

Neal Looks To Return To Sold-Out Arenas In Style

Ahead of his upcoming fight, Neal spoke to MMA News’ James Lynch. “Handz of Steel” said he’s excited to be fighting in front of fans for the first time since December 2019. Having lost twice in the quiet environment of the UFC Apex, Neal believes the energy and sound of the T-Mobile Arena crowd will certainly give him the “motivation” he needs on December 11.

“Those last two performances, I really just didn’t, I dunno, it was like a mental thing. I was in there, I just didn’t care. I was just chilling, you know what I mean. I’ve gotta be more aggressive… I’m so happy that we’re fighting in front of fans. That’s probably gonna play a big dynamic in my motivation and my drive. Fighting in that Apex is boring as fuck, I don’t wanna do that ever again. Hopefully my next fights are all gonna be in (front of) fans, in arenas; I like that uncomfortable feeling of just standing there in front of the crowd screaming. I love that,” Neal told MMA News.

Neal expects to give the crowd an entertaining watch in Las Vegas. Acknowledging Ponzinibbio’s toughness and aggressive style, the Texan told fans to expect fireworks at UFC 269. In his mind, either someone’s getting rendered unconscious or they’re getting left with some heavy damage after a 15-minute war.

“He’s a tough opponent… We match up pretty well. We have kinda the same style. The only thing different is I’m southpaw and he’s orthodox… Honestly, especially this fight, it’s either gonna end in the first round or the second round, or it’s gonna be like, a three-round battle. There’s really no secret to this fight, especially with his style… He’s not gonna wanna shy away and I’m not gonna wanna shy away. I like to come forward, he likes to come forward. So, it’s fireworks. Somebody’s gonna either go to sleep or somebody’s getting hurt.”

Catch our full interview with Geoff Neal ahead of UFC 269 below:

Do you think Geoff Neal will return to the win column against Santiago Ponzinbbio at UFC 269?

Continue Reading Geoff Neal Promises “Fireworks” Against Ponzinibbio At UFC 269 at MMA News.

Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio Added To UFC 269

Geoff NealGeoff Neal is set to fight Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269 on December 11. Brett Okamoto of ESPN first broke the news of this exciting welterweight bout. “Another fun welterweight fight added to UFC 269,” Okamoto wrote on social media. “Santiago Ponzinibbio (@SPonzinibbioMMA) vs. Geoff Neal (@handzofsteelmma) has been agreed to on both sides. This […]

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal is set to fight Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269 on December 11.

Brett Okamoto of ESPN first broke the news of this exciting welterweight bout.

“Another fun welterweight fight added to UFC 269,” Okamoto wrote on social media. “Santiago Ponzinibbio (@SPonzinibbioMMA) vs. Geoff Neal (@handzofsteelmma) has been agreed to on both sides. This final PPV card of 2021 is looking….”

Neal is currently on a two-fight losing streak after dropping to successive decision defeats against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Neil Magny. ‘Handz of Steel’ began his UFC career with a five-fight win streak during which he beat the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price and Belal Muhammad to establish himself as a true player at 170lbs. Unfortunately, the 31-year-old has recently been plagued by health issues and they appear to have had a detrimental impact on his fight career.

Ponzinibbio has also endured his share of health issues that derailed his progression through the welterweight ranks. The Argentine was on a seven-fight win streak before he was forced to take three years away from fighting. Ponzinibbio returned to action earlier this year and was shockingly knocked out by Li Jingliang. The 35-year-old has since bounced back, beating Miguel Baeza over three rounds in June.

UFC 269 does not have an official location or venue but is expected to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 269 Fight Card  

Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier

Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena

Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal

Randy Costa vs. Tony Kelley

Cody Garbrandt vs. Kai Kara-France

Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gillian Robertson

Maycee Barber vs. opponent TBA

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Andre Muniz

Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell

Ryan Hall vs. Darrick Minner

Dominick Cruz vs. Pedro Munhoz

Sean O’Malley vs. Raulian Paiva

Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

Who will win at UFC 269? Geoff Neal or Santiago Ponzinibbio?