Sam Patterson defeats Santiago Ponzinibbio by KO/TKO
Ponzinibbio vs Patterson — Welterweight · UFC Fight Night
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Patterson settled into his range during the back half of round one.
He increased the pressure and damage in round two.
Patterson continued unloading after hurting Ponzinibbio until the stoppage.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Abu Dhabi — Preliminary Card Results
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: DFS By The Numbers called it; AJ perfect call; Michael Chiesa called it; JakeGerberMMA called it; HopperoMMA called it; Bedtime MMA called it; We Want Picks called it.
7 of 7 nailed it · 1 nailed the finish ★.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted Patterson · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Expects Patterson's power to catch the forward-moving Ponzinibbio for a first-round knockout.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted Patterson · KO/TKO. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Perfect call.
Expects Patterson's reach, straight shots and power to exploit the aging Ponzinibbio's forward pressure for a knockout.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
Michael Chiesa AnalystFighter called 29 of 42 Michael Chiesa: predicted Patterson · to win. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Names Patterson as his preliminary-card pick without a method call.
Track record: winner called in 29 of 42 resolved picks, 1 a perfect call.
JakeGerberMMA Analyst called 44 of 62 JakeGerberMMA: predicted Patterson · to win. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Names Sam Patterson as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 44 of 62 resolved picks, 10 a perfect call.
HopperoMMA Analyst called 41 of 65 HopperoMMA: predicted Patterson · to win. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Names Sam Patterson as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 41 of 65 resolved picks, 15 a perfect call.
Bedtime MMA Analyst called 67 of 99 Bedtime MMA: predicted Patterson · to win. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Names Sam Patterson as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 67 of 99 resolved picks, 28 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted Patterson · to win. Actual Patterson · KO/TKO R2. Result: Hit.
Names Sam Patterson as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 30-9-0
- Record
- 14-3-1
- 1-4 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 4-1 last 5
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- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
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- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Argentina
- Nationality
- England
- American Top Team
- Team
- Team Crossface
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Ponzinibbio
Ponzinibbio makes his 21st UFC appearance in his 13th year with the promotion. The UFC preview says he returns after a third-round stoppage loss to Daniel Rodriguez and has gone 2-5 in his last seven, although three of those defeats were split decisions.
Case for Patterson
Patterson is the rangy British opponent looking to rebound from a low-output loss to Michael Page in London. The UFC preview says that setback ended a four-fight run of success since he moved to welterweight, giving him a clear recent baseline to rediscover.
What We Were Watching For
- Whether Ponzinibbio's long UFC experience helps him reset after the Rodriguez loss.
- Patterson's activity after the low-output Michael Page defeat.
- The range battle between the veteran and the taller-framed British welterweight.
- How either fighter responds if the bout becomes a close round-by-round decision.
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