“I take a lot of things away. I improved so this will not happen again. I think it was a close one,” he said. “I think in the first round and the second round I won, and the third round I lose, but I still won the fight. A lot of people — Kamaru Usman, the champ — he made a Tweet that said I won, but a lot of people think that. It is what it is, but now I focus on this fight.”
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While this camp focused on preparing for the “two Michels” that can show up inside the Octagon, the 35-year-old also gets a bit of a fresh start after a challenging year.
“I think last year I (didn’t do as well) because of the time out with big injuries, but now it’s different. I put a lot of time into fighting with three fights last year,” Ponzinibbio said, adding that he focused on rounding off his skills during this camp. “I’m good with my standup, but I worked with my wrestling and worked my jiu-jitsu, my ground. I feel great. I feel very complete, I think everything is better now and I feel amazing; I feel the same as when I fought in Argentina. I feel in my prime and I’m going to show it this Saturday.”
With a stacked division ahead of him, Ponzinibbio puts the number 14 ranking next to his name on the line to take on one of the most exciting welterweight veterans in Pereira, with hopes of making a statement for his dominance among the division.
“I think this fight, he’s coming in at a good time,” Ponzinibbio said, turning to the camera with a smirk spreading across his face. “He’s a top fighter and if I put a good victory over him, this is going to show that I’m part of the elite of this division and that I’m ready to go for the belt.”
