Santiago Ponzinibbio opens up on recovery hell after doctors warned him he may never fight again

UFC welterweight contender Santiago Ponzinibbio has detailed his fight against a career-threatening blood infection as he prepares to return to the octagon.

Since his last outing in November 2018, Ponzinibbio (27-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has been forced to sit on the sidelines as he battled multiple bacterial infections and arthritis during a spell that saw him hospitalized.

“I have a lot of medical problems,” Ponzinibbio told MMA Junkie. “It started with a blood infection inside my body. The infection got to my blood, and I had two different kinds of bacteria. One is an epidemic staph and the other bacteria is pseudomonas. It’s a very dangerous bacteria. I stayed in the hospital (and) I started with a lot of swelling in my body in some parts, more in the knee. I stayed there for eight days. I started treatment and they put a peripherally inserted central catheter line in my arm and a lot of medication.”

The recovery process was supposed to take six weeks, but after he experienced complications with his medication, the Argentinian fighter rapidly lost weight and picked up a rising fever. It meant his hospital stay turned into a much longer process. He was eventually discharged and continued his treatment at home, followed by a visit to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, where he began his physical therapy.

“It’s crazy. The first time (when) I had five different medications per day (and) nurses in my home, I could do nothing,” Ponzinibbio said. “(It was) very, very bad and I stayed maybe three months with the PICC line medication. After that, I continued to be alright with a couple of medications and the doctor said, ‘OK, you’re good. You can start your physical therapy for your muscles to get back to normal,’ and I started to train and I went to Vegas.”

But, after appearing to shake off his bacterial infections, Ponzinibbio faced another issue after finding it hard to move around during training sessions at the UFC PI. The facility’s staff advised him to get an MRI on his leg, which revealed an even larger problem that had previously gone unnoticed.

“I had a lot of pain, a lot of swelling in my body,” Ponzinibbio said. “I couldn’t walk. … The day I didn’t take the anti-inflammatory, I couldn’t go to the room, I couldn’t go up the stairs. It was crazy.”

“A couple of doctors saw the MRI and they said, ‘Listen, you have an infection in the bone. It’s very, very dangerous. Maybe you can’t fight again in your career.’”

It transpired Ponzinibbio was battling an infection and arthritis at the same time. He paid a visit to a rheumatologist and was finally able to zero in on his treatment for arthritis.

He was tentatively booked to face Robbie Lawler at UFC 245 last December, but, one month away from the fight, Ponzinibbio knew there was no way he’d be able to make it. He still couldn’t walk without using anti-inflammatory medication and was forced to withdraw from the bout.

After almost 20 months away from the octagon, Ponzinibbio, who is riding a seven-fight win streak, is finally healthy and looking forward to picking up where he left off more than 18 months ago.

“Now my body’s back to normal,” Ponzinibbio said. “I needed to do a lot of work after this. All these months, for sure my body felt that. A lot of condition training, PT and back, little-by-little, to training. But this is the reason why I stayed far from the octagon for a year and a half.”

“It’s very tough for me. Always looking at the division, the moves, everything. Before everything happened, they told me, ‘One more fight and you go for the belt.’ This is my dream, I’ve been working so hard (for) a lot of years. I’m so excited and, a couple of years after, I’m fighting for my life in the hospital. Ups and downs, (a) very crazy time.”