Santiago Ponzinibbio is willing to fight Tyron Woodley with one arm at UFC 249

Santiago Ponzinibbio is ready to step up to plate and fight Tyron Woodley last minute at UFC 249.

The upcoming UFC 249 event on April 18 is clouded with uncertainty. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of his eagerly anticipated Tony Ferguson matchup in the main event. The final location and rest of the card are also not confirmed.

The Argentinian welterweight is ready to save the day. He has already volunteered to fight Tony Ferguson in a catchweight bout, and now he is offering to take on the former welterweight champion, “The Chosen One”.

Woodley was originally scheduled to fight Leon Edwards at UFC London before the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Since then, the former champ has confirmed he is ready to make a UFC 249 appearance.

Just wanted you guys to know I'm in for #UFC249 I gave my management team executive permission to make it happen. Im training like a machine & ready to walk through someone! @uFC what's the word? Colby in or not? Are you guys going to pull the trigger on this its 2wks away?

— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) April 4, 2020

“Just wanted you guys to know I’m in for #UFC249 I gave my management team executive permission to make it happen. Im training like a machine & ready to walk through someone! @UFC what’s the word? Colby in or not? Are you guys going to pull the trigger on this its 2wks away?”

Ponzinibbio has seven consecutive victories in the welterweight division, dating back to 2015. He responded to Woodley’s UFC 249 offer with plenty of confidence.

“Just saw on the media that Tyron Woodley is saying he’s ready to fight at UFC 249, that he’s training and ready to do the main event, so I’m here,” Ponzinibbio said to MMA Fighting. “I’m ready to take this fight. I’d be happy to do this main event and knock him out in the first round. This is my fight. In two weeks, I’m in.”

Ponzinibbio fights out of American Top Team, the same gym that is home to Colby Covington. The Chosen One originally called for the April clash against “Chaos,” but the Argentina native revealed that Covington hasn’t fully recovered from his title fight against Kamaru Usman.

“He’s asking for Colby Covington but he’s not ready, he fractured his jaw. I’m ready, brother,” Ponzinibbio said. “I’m ready to beat him up.”

Ponzinibbio hasn’t fought since 2018 when he finished Neil Magny by fourth-round knockout. He explained why he has been out of action and why the former champion is scared to fight him.

“I’ve been away for a while with an injury and I haven’t trained for a while. What more does he want? He only takes easy fights so I’m coming off an injury, which is great for him, but I’ll still beat the sh*t out of him and knock him out in the first round.”

“I’m not training, I’m away for a year and a half, there are no other advantages I can give him,” he continued. “I’ll fight with one arm tied behind my back if he wants, and I’ll still beat the sh*t out of this guy and knock him out in the first round. Let’s see if he’s man enough to take this fight.”

Would you like to see Santiago Ponzinibbio fight, Tyron Woodley, at UFC 249? Let us know in the comments below.