BOOM!@SPonzinibbioMMA drops Taleb! #UFCHalifax pic.twitter.com/WJymNwtRCx
— #UFCHalifax (@ufc) February 20, 2017
The UFC returns to the Great White North for a special Sunday UFC Fight Night event in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
In the main event, heavyweight prospect Derrick Lewis will fight his toughest opponent to date when he fights longtime contender Travis Browne.
Before the main card starts, the UFC has produced an undercard full of intriguing matchups. Welterweight prospects Nordine Taleb and Santiago Ponzinibbio fight in the final fight on the FOX Sports 1 prelims.
Both fighters showed respect for each other and were hesitant to start engaging. Neither fighter landed many strikes throughout the round. However, Taleb did have success with leg kicks. Taleb did well at keeping a safe distance away from Ponzinibbio’s punches, but the few punches that landed did their job and bloodied Taleb.
Taleb immediately went to his leg kicks to start the second round. Ponzinibbio also had success with landing punches to Taleb’s nose. Taleb produced a lot of damage to his opponent’s legs, while Ponzinibbio continued to damage Taleb’s nose. Eventually, Ponzinibbio landed a straight right to knock down Taleb. Ponzinibbio pounced on his opponent, but Taleb got the fight into his guard and managed to recover. The round ended with Ponzinibbio on top and Taleb doing his best to avoid taking more damage.
The third round continued with Taleb using leg kicks and Ponzinibbio attacking the nose. Ponzinibbio continued to bloody his opponent with his effective striking. Taleb’s kicks and punches started to cause more damage as the round finished, but Ponzinibbio did not back down and continued to land punches of his own.
Official result:
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Nordine Taleb by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
