UFC on FOX 26 results: Santiago Ponzinibbio edges Mike Perry in 3-round thriller

Santiago Ponzinibbio (26-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) vs. Mike Perry (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) delivered on all of the expectations and then some, with “Gente Boa” edging “Platinum” in a slugfest.

The welterweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC on FOX 26 event at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It aired on FOX following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Perry rushed out to the center to start the contest, while Ponzinibbio shifted laterally on the outside. Both men were patient to start, with Perry landing a side kick to the body as the first real offense. Low kicks were traded shortly after, as Ponzinibbio remained in constant movement, refusing to provide a stationary target for Perry.

Ponzinibbio used low kicks as his primary weapon while largely avoiding Perry’s powerful right hands. Perry did land one clean with 90 seconds remaining in the round, but Ponzinibbio shrugged it off and countered shortly after with a quick takedown, though the action didn’t stay on the floor for long. Ponzinibbio picked up his striking pace in the final minute, landing a few clean counters in the tense affair.

Ponzinibbio kept his volume high to open the second, slowing the return fire from Perry, who suffered a cut under the right eye early in the round. Still, Perry pressed forward with power shots when available and also surprised with a brief takedown. Still, Ponzinibbio was game in reply, leading with a jab and keeping his movement constant. Ponzinibbio’s low kick continued to do damage, as well, and his hands started to land flush in the latter stages of the frame. Ponzinibbio’s face also showed a stream of blood, but he really came alive late in the round, teeing off on the feet, though Perry showed a granite chin.

With the fight seemingly hanging in the balance in the third, both men came out swinging in the third. Perry kept his pressure high and seemed to finally slow just a bit, but he continued to look dangerous in every exchange and found success by chopping the leg. Perry landed a few big right hands, but Ponzinibbio scored a knockdown with a spinning backfist and briefly worked to his opponent’s back. Perry was quick to return to his feet, but Ponzinibbio stayed tight, looking unsuccessfully to keep the action on the ground.

As they reset with a little more than two minutes remaining, both men showed the wear of battle. A Ponzinibbio takedown proved key, and Perry appeared a little tired as he settled for simply holding from the bottom rather than try and power his way back to the feet. Ponzinibbio was happy to ride the position, though Perry did finally get to his feet with a little more than 20 seconds remaining. The two men teed off on the reset, though Ponzinibbio got the best of the exchange and eventually backed away, taunting his opponent with outstretched arms. An exhausted Perry simply couldn’t muster the energy to chase, and Ponzinibbio walked away with a hard-fought decision win, 29-28 on all three cards.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 26 results include:

• Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Mike Perry via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Glover Teixeira def. Misha Cirkunov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:45
• Jan Blachowicz def. Jared Cannonier via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Julian Marquez def. Darren Stewart via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:42
• Nordine Taleb def. Danny Roberts via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 0:59
• John Makdessi def. Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alessio Di Chirico def. Oluwale Bamgbose via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 2:14
• Jordan Mein def. Erick Silva via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 26, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Mike Bohn and Ken Hathaway contributed to this report on site in Winnipeg.)