Santiago Ponzinibbio unbothered by losing Robbie Lawler at UFC 282: Alex Morono fight good for me and him

LAS VEGAS – Santiago Ponzinibbio sees a lot of incentive in beating Alex Morono.

Although Ponzinibbio (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) lost out on the opportunity of fighting former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in Saturday’s UFC 282 event, he sees the streaking Morono (22-7 MMA, 11-4 UFC) as a worthy opponent.

The pair square off in a 180-pound catchweight bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.

“The motivation is still there,” Ponzinibbio told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference. “Change of opponent but the goals are the same. The goals are to finish the guys standing in front of me, I don’t care who they are. I need to smash whoever is in front of me, take my money back home, continue working and continue doing what I do.

“He’s a good kid. He won eight of his last 10 fights and has four victories in a row. I think that’s good for him and I see it’s good for me. When I beat this guy, I can prove to the world that I’m one of the best welterweights.”

Ponzinibbio will look to snap a two-fight losing skid against Morono. Despite the change of opponent, the Argentinian contender says his fights always deliver.

“I think it’s gonna be a fun fight and that’s gonna be fun for the fans,” Ponzinibbio added. “This is my style realistically. My style is exciting and I know this Saturday is gonna be an exciting match.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.