Injured 'TUF: Brazil 2' finalist Santiago Ponzinibbio wants Leo Santos rematch

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL – With a scar still fresh from recent surgery on his radius bone, Santiago Ponzinibbio watched Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 event with bittersweet feelings.

On one hand, he was humbled that so many fans have told him he was the best fighter on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2,” which wrapped up its welterweight tournament at Saturday’s event at Paulo Sarasate Arena in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. It was bitter, though, because the fighter Ponzinibbio (18-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) beat in the semifinal round of the tourney – Leonardo Santos (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) – instead took his spot in the final and defeated William Macario (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to win the show.

“It’s kind of a bad feeling, a little bit,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator just prior to the fight’s start. “I really wish I would have been fighting here on this incredible fight card doing a co-main event of the evening. I really wanted to be in there, but unfortunately, it happens in our kind of sport … with injuries. But the important thing is I’m well, I am [signed to the UFC], I will have a fight, and I’ll come back stronger than ever to put on some really great fights.”

On the Brazilian version of the UFC’s long-running reality series, Ponzinibbio knocked out Marcio Santos (which earned a $25,000 bonus as the season’s best KO) and earned decision wins over Cleiton Duarte and Santos (which earned him another $25,000 as the season’s best fight). The $50,000 is great, but Ponzinibbio said he’d like to challenge the show winner to prove he was the season’s best fighter.

“It’s a fight that could happen,” he said. “I’d really like it. I really feel like I had the conditions to be the winner, I think. My goal when I got onto the show was to be a champion. To close this cycle, I’d really like to fight whoever wins and show them that I should be the winner. I truly believe that.”

Ponzinibbio, an Argentinian fighter, entered “TUF: Brazil 2? with a remarkable 18-1 pro record and 16 career stoppages. But after snapping his forearm in the win over Santos, he was forced out of the tournament and into the operating room.

He’s scheduled to meet with doctors this week, and if given the green light, he could be training for his official UFC debut sooner rather than later.

“I broke my radius in three parts, and I had to get a plate and screws and stuff like that,” he said. “But I’m doing well. I’m almost recovered. I’m in the final stretch of my recovery. Just one more week, and I’ll probably be able to train 100 percent and be prepared for my comeback.”

While his castmates got the spotlight this past week, Ponzinibbio wasn’t a forgotten man. He said fans approached him throughout the week to compliment him on his “TUF” run. Many said he deserved the show championship.

Upon his return, Ponzinibbio said he simply wants to prove them right.

“I am very grateful when I hear that,” he said. “A lot of people said I was the favorite to the win show, so that makes me very happy. I can assure them I’ll come back stronger than ever and do a lot of fights in the UFC.”

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