While waiting for the major fight that his form deserves, Santiago Ponzinibbio's momentum has suddenly been stalled.
This week, the Welterweight contender took to Instagram, posting a video that was recorded after "an emergency surgery."
Ponzinibbio has since explained the situation, telling MMA Junkie that he's now out of hospital and "in the process of recovery". The Brazilian was hospitalized for a week due to a bacterial infection in his blood but will now continue treatment with a specialist. He's without a timeline for his eventual octagon return though.
After seven straight wins, Ponzinibbio is ranked 9th in the UFC's Welterweight standings, most recently knocking out Neil Magny in November 2018. Almost a year of inactivity preceded that win though and it seems that Ponzinibbio will now once again return to the octagon on the back of a relatively lengthy lay-off. Nonetheless, Ponzinibbio's 9-2 UFC record is undeniably impressive and he still appears just a major win or two away from title contention.