Homecoming: Santiago Ponzinibbio Stops Neil Magny in Fourth Round
The knockout represents the biggest win of Ponzinibbio’s career, shooting up the ladder into Welterweight contention.
Guilherme Cruz, MMA FightingWe officially have a new contender in the Welterweight division.
Santiago Ponzinibbio (27-3) knocked out Neil Magny (21-7) in the fourth round of their main-event showdown this Saturday night before a ruckus Argentinian crowd at the Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The knockout was impressive but the way that he dominated every round was even more so. From the opening bell, Ponzinibbio applied pressure, pressure and more pressure. Although Magny was looking forward to a significant advantage in height and reach (three inches in height; seven inches in reach), it was Ponzinibbio who did the better job of landing his jab, controlling the distance.
It wasn’t just the pressure Ponzinibbio applied that won him the fight. The calf kicks he delivered on Magny were devastating. Several times in the fight, Magny was visibly in pain from relentless kicks. The visiting American was also knocked off his feet several times.
As the rounds went on it was becoming more and more evident that Ponzinibbio had this win all but wrapped up. He could’ve cruised to victory, just playing it safe—avoiding Magny landing something major and unexpected.
Thankfully for the fans in attendance and watching worldwide, however, he decided that he wanted to close the show, leaving no doubt.
In Round 4, a big overhand right from Ponzinibbio made Magny face-plant moments later. The fight was over before Magny even hit the mat.
The knockout represents the biggest win of Ponzinibbio’s career, shooting up the ladder into Welterweight contention.
As for Magny, it’s tough to figure out where he goes from here. He will need to go back to the drawing board and rebuild his image.
Ponzinibbio should find himself in a title fight sometime next year.
