An excellent matchup between two of the best welterweights in the UFC is booked as Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio was added to UFC 269.
ESPN first revealed the news that Neal vs. Ponzinibbio is set for UFC 269, which takes place on December 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC 269 is a stacked pay-per-view card that is headlined by UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier vs. Charles Oliveira. As well, the co-main event features UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes against Julianna Pena. Additionally, there is a welterweight grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards also on the card. And now we have Neal vs. Ponzinibbio, too.
Neal (13-4) is the No. 10 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old American is coming off of back-to-back losses to Neil Magny and Stephen Thompson that snapped his seven-fight win streak. Overall, Neal is 5-2 in the UFC. While he has not looked like a future title contender lately as much as he did early in his UFC career, he has still proven himself to be a very tough out and very durable. Not only that, but he still possesses knockout power, so this fight against a fellow striker in Ponzinibbio should be interesting.
Ponzinibbio (28-4) is the No. 12 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 35-year-old Argentina native is coming off of a huge win over prospect Miguel Baeza in his last fight, bouncing back from a KO loss to Li Jingliang before that. Prior to the loss to Jingliang, Ponzinibbio had won seven fights in a row. Overall, he is one of the most exciting fighters in the weight class and this matchup against Neal should prove to be a lot of fun to watch. If this fight stays standing, it has FOTN written all over it.
Who do you think wins this welterweight bout at UFC 269 between Geoff Neal and Santiago Ponzinibbio?