Santiago Ponzinibbio is on the verge of hitting a big milestone in his fighting career. Saturday, the Argentinian will compete in his 40th professional MMA fight – a number few reach in their careers.
"Yeah, I did know that, and that's without counting the fights from 'TUF,' which were four," Ponzinibbio told Hablemos MMA in Spanish.
Ponzinibbio (30-9 MMA, 12-8 UFC), a longtime welterweight, returns against Sam Patterson (14-3-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 282 (Paramount+) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ponzinibbio revealed this wasn't the original matchup, but in a way, he's glad he drew a younger opponent, as he gets an opportunity to show he can hang with newer talent.
"I was supposed to fight Jack Hermansson, but
he ended up getting injured, and I was offered Patterson," Ponzinibbio said. "It's a much different challenge, but it is still a challenge. It's one of those clashes of generations that the company likes to make, and it's a great opportunity to show that I'm still good and relevant and that I can hang with the new generation. I'm not focused on him. I'm focused on me."
Apart from competing in his 40th fight Saturday, Ponzinibbio is also just weeks away from his 40th birthday. He knows he's reaching the end of his fighting days, but retirement is not something he thinks about much.
"You can try to plan everything in your head, but the truth is that you have to take things day by day," Ponzinibbio said. "I'm in a chapter where I'm starting to see the end of the tunnel. It's something I think about, but not something I want. I don't see it too close because I still feel good. Now, everything is always changing, and you have to take things fight by fight. As of today, I feel great, and I want to be competing, but I don't plan ahead too much because I know how things work and how quickly things can change."
As one can imagine, Ponzinibbio has experienced a lot throughout his almost 20-year professional MMA career. Although he's checked a lot of boxes, there's one thing that he'd still like to accomplish with his time left in the fight game.
"Yeah, fighting in Madison Square Garden in New York, I would like to fight there," Ponzinibbio said. "That's the only thing that immediately comes to mind. I'd love to fight in that arena. It's very iconic. But beyond that, I've already experienced a lot. This is a crazy game, and all you have in your control is staying healthy, staying in shape. I'm not in Abu Dhabi, and you just have to accept and take whatever challenge comes your way."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Santiago Ponzinibbio taking career 'day by day' ahead of 40th fight
