LAS VEGAS – Alex Morono looked like he was on his way to getting one of the biggest wins of his career on five days’ notice at UFC 282, but Santiago Ponzinibbio had other plans.
Down two round to none on the scorecards, Ponzinibbio (29-6 MMA, 11-5 UFC) let his hands fly in the final round and landed a flurry to put away Morono (22-8 MMA, 11-5 UFC) by TKO in the 180-pound catchweight fight at T-Mobile Arena.
SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO COMES ALL THE WAY BACK 😱 #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/T3wcLg2kUt
— UFC (@ufc) December 11, 2022
As expected, Ponzinibbio and Moreno went toe to toe to start the round. It was somewhat slow-paced and elicited some boos from the crowd, but Morono had the biggest moment when he landed a shot that forced an off-balance Ponzinibbio to the ground shortly before the horn.
It was more of the same in the second frame. Morono seemed to have more power in his shots and found a home for some good ones. Ponzinibbio threw combinations, but Morono absorbed them well in another ho-hum round that the crowd in attendance did not enjoy.
A lackluster third round was turned on its head late when Ponzinibbio landed a huge right hand that rocked and dropped Morono. He pounced with a few follow-up shots, and it was waved off at the 2:29 mark of Round 3.
“I don’t care who, I don’t care what weight, I’m going to fight,” Ponzinibbio said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I will throw everything. I know I’m a real fighter. I have a killer instinct.”
A huge victory and a moment with the boss for @SPonzinibbioMMA 👏 #UFC282 pic.twitter.com/QgHh37Vg2j
— UFC (@ufc) December 11, 2022
Up-to-the-minute UFC 282 results include:
- Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Alex Morono via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:29
- Dricus Du Plessis def. Darren Till via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:43
- Ilia Topuria def. Bryce Mitchell via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:10
- Raul Rosas Jr. def. Jay Perrin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:44
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Chris Daukaus via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:23
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Dalcha Lungiambula via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:41
- Chris Curtis def. Joaquin Buckley via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:49
- Billy Quarantillo def. Alexander Hernandez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:30
- T.J. Brown def. Erik Silva via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:41
- Cameron Saaiman def. Steven Koslow via TKO (punches, knees) – Round 3, 4:13
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
