The UFC sets foot in Argentina for the first time ever on Saturday November 11th at the Arena Parque Roca in Villa Soldati, Argentina.
To headline the event, the UFC handpicked Argentina’s own Santiago Ponzinibbio, a welterweight who is on a roll right now and who may be one big win away from title contendership. The man tasked to challenge the hometown boy is Neil Magny, the 8th ranked welterweight in the promotion.
Santiago Ponzinibbio enters this fight with a 26-3 record with 14 knockouts and 6 submissions. Currently ranked 10th in the UFC welterweight division, Ponzinibbio stands is six feet tall and has a reach of 73 inches. Gente Boa is on a six fight winning streak. In his last fight, Ponzinibbio recorded a unanimous decision win over Platinum Mike Perry at UFC on Fox 26 in December 2017.
Gente Boa is an excellent striker who punishes his opponents his heavy hands. The Argentinian is very good at judging distance and has excellent striking combinations. Because he faces a taller and longer opponent in Magny, he will have to take the fight to the American.
Neil Magny heads to this contest with a record of 21-7 with 7 knockouts and 3 submissions. Magny is the UFC’s 8th ranked welterweight and has incredible size at 6-3 and with reach of 80 inches. Magny has won his last two fights including his most recent outing, a first round KO win over Craig Clark at UFC Fight Night 130 last May.
Magny is a tough read for opponents because of his size and length. When he finds his range, he is hard to stop on his feet. When he gets comfortable, he puts on puts on a pace that usually overwhelms his opponents. Magny is also an excellent wrestler and grappler and he may have to take this fight to the ground to avoid Gente Boa’s heavy hands.
Ponzinibbio is the favorite here and while there’s no question that he should be such, I’m a little surprised why the betting sites are high on him at -255. Likewise, I’m surprised at Magny’s numbers but that doesn’t mean that this is an easy fight for Gente Boa.
No doubt, Neil Magny is a live dog in this fight. He’s a scrappy fighter who may not be a highlight reel material but comes up with ways to win fights, although not always. Still, Magny is a dangerous opponent for Ponzinibbio because the American has a three inch height advantage and seven inch reach edge over the Argentinian. He is also an excellent striker who can match Ponzinibbio on his feet.
For Magny to win, he must use his size advantage to keep Ponzinibbio off him and to prevent Gente Boa from unloading his big punches. If Magny controls the distance, he does have a serious chance of winning this fight. But Ponzinibbio is the more powerful striker between the two and should win most of the exchanges. Magny will eventually try to goad this fight to the mat but Ponzinibbio should be able to keep off the ground and win on his feet. Prediction: Ponzinibbio by knockout.
Magny’s average fight time is 11 minutes and 26 seconds while Ponzinibbio’s is 9 minutes and 27 seconds. The longer this fight goes, the advantage goes to the scrappy veteran in Magny so I think Ponzinibbio will go at him from the get go. I think this is going to be a quick night as Ponzinibbio is going to walk right through Neil Magny. Prediction Under 2.5 rounds
In the co-main event, Ricardo Lamas takes on Darren Elkins in a three round featherweight showcase. The Bully is coming off the first two fight losing streak after he was knocked out by Josh Emmett in December and then suffering a split decision loss to Mirsad Bektic at UFC 225.
Lamas stands at 5-8 and has a reach of 71 inches. The Bully has an MMA record of 18-7 with 5 knockouts and 5 submissions. He’s got power in those hands and has a very solid ground game too. He works well on his back too but isn’t that good at defending takedowns.
Darren Elkins saw his six fight winning streak cut after losing by unanimous decision to Alexander Volkanovski. Prior that loss, Elkins recorded back to back wins over Dennis Bermudez and Michael Johnson. He is currently the 14th ranked featherweight in the UFC, one spot behind Lamas. A win by either puts him in the Top 10 for sure.
Elkins is 5-10, has a reach of 71 inches and fights out of the unorthodox. The Damage brings in a record of 24-6 with six knockouts and six submissions. Lamas has excellent wrestling skills and he also has a powerful ground and pound attack that could lead to knockouts
It’s a surprise why Lamas is favored when he is coming off back to back losses including to Mirsad Bektic whom Darren Elkins defeated. Lamas has the better striking and has the knockout power but I think the only way he beats Elkins is if he puts him away. The last time Elkins was knocked out though was in 2013 by Chad Mendes so it’s not going to be easy. On the other hand, if Elkins can put Lamas on the canvass, it’s going to be a long night for the Bully. Prediction: Darren Elkins by decision
Six of Elkins’ last 8 wins have come via decision. He’s a grinder who averages 2.64 takedowns per 25 minutes. Lamas looked like he’s over the hill in his last two bouts. I don’t see a stoppage coming here. Prediction: Over 2.5 rounds
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