Ponzinibbio out of UFC Chile headliner vs. Usman
Kamaru Usman needs a new opponent after Santiago Ponzinibbio withdrew from UFC Chile.
The UFC’s first trip to Chile has lost its main event.
Santiago Ponzinibbio is out of the UFC Fight Night 129 headliner in which he was scheduled to meet fellow rising welterweight contender Kamaru Usman. The Argentinian suffered a thumb injury in training, Combate reported Saturday evening. UFC officials have not yet confirmed the cancellation.
At this time, per the report, it is not clear whether the UFC plans on finding a replacement for Usman or pulling him from the card and re-booking Usman vs. Ponzinibbio for a later date.
Ponzinibbio (26-3) is riding a six-fight winning streak, which includes a decision win over Mike Perry and a first-round knockout of Gunnar Nelson last summer. Usman (12-1), on the other hand, is undefeated in the UFC. “The Nigerian Nightmare” most recently beat Emil Meek by a lopsided decision.
UFC Fight Night 129 takes place at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile on May 19. Volkan Oezdemir vs. Mauricio Rua was expected to co-headline the event, but that light heavyweight bout was scrapped last week.