Santiago Ponzinibbio thinks one man particularly has a very good shot at dethroning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
Ponzinibbio, a veteran of the UFC’s 170-pound division and analyst for UFC Español, sees Edwards as a stable fixture of the highest of the load class and sees him getting previous most challengers besides one – Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“I believe Shavkat is essentially the most tough fighter,” Ponzinibbio advised MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I believe he’s essentially the most tough, however once more, something can occur on this sport, and that’s why it’s so stunning. It’s at all times a coin toss.
“However Shavkat appears good. There’s additionally Jack Della Maddalena, Ian Garry, who’re good prospects, however I don’t know if they’ve the whole recreation to take the title from Leon Edwards. However let’s see what occurs.”
Ponzinibbio (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns to the octagon this Saturday after being out for over a yr. He takes on fellow veteran Muslim Salikhov (19-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) within the co-main occasion of UFC on ESPN 59, which works down at Ball Enviornment in Denver.
Edwards doesn’t struggle lengthy after, as he’s set to defend his title later this month towards Belal Muhammad in the principle occasion of UFC 304 in Manchester, England. Ponzinibbio sees the champion maintaining his title.
“He’ll be combating at residence, so I see him as the favourite,” Ponzinibbio mentioned. “Leon Edwards manages distance very nicely, and he’s a southpaw that fights very lengthy. He’s bought a superb takedown protection. Take a look at how a lot Usman struggled to only get to the takedown and if he’d get there, he would defend it. However he wouldn’t even let him get to provoke a takedown due to how nicely he managed distance. His faints, how he exits after he strikes. So yeah, I believe standup-wise, he’s extra full than Belal. His kicks are higher, he’s longer, I simply see him higher on the ft.
“I believe Belal goes to really feel a bit misplaced on the ft and search for the takedowns like he did towards Thompson, and Leon Edwards ought to have the ability to cope with that. I’m selecting the champion. He takes this one.”
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