UFC Chile loses Kamaru Usman vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio main event!
The octagon will invade Chile for the first time next month but the historic fight card is now without a main event.
The event, which takes place May 19 live from Movistar Arena, was expected to be headlined by a key welterweight fight between surging division contenders Kamaru Usman and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Unfortunately for fight fans, the highly anticipated UFC Chile headliner has been called off following an injury to Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Combate’s Raphael Marinho broke the disappointing news on Twitter:
Santiago Ponzinibbio lesiona a mão nos treinos e está fora do UFC Santiago https://t.co/Az3R3siE9i
— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) April 22, 2018
MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news:
Santiago Ponzinibbio is out of the 5/19 Chile main event vs. Kamaru Usman, sources confirm. No replacement finalized yet.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 22, 2018
“Santiago Ponzinibbio is out of the 5/19 Chile main event vs. Kamaru Usman, sources confirm. No replacement finalized yet.” – Ariel Helwani
This marked the second big hit to May’s UFC Fight Night 129 event in Chile as the card had already lost a slated light heavyweight bout between Volkan Oezdemir and Shogun Rua.
While the UFC is actively searching for a replacement for Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman told Ariel Helwani that he will not fight an unranked opponent.
Just spoke to @USMAN84kg, who said, “They’re working on (finding a replacement). But I won’t fight if it’s not a ranked opponent.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 22, 2018
“Just spoke to @USMAN84kg, who said, ‘They’re working on (finding a replacement). But I won’t fight if it’s not a ranked opponent.’” – Ariel Helwani
Kamaru Usman boasts an impressive 12-1 MMA record and has gone a perfect 7-0 in the UFC.
Who would you like to see step in and fight Kamaru Usman at next month’s UFC Chile event?