MMA Preview – Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Alex Morono at UFC 282
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SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO VS ALEX MORONO FACTS
When is UFC 282? Sunday 11th December, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 282? T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 282? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 282
What channel is UFC 282 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 282? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO VS ALEX MORONO LOWDOWN
Santiago Ponzinibbio (28-6) misses out on a dream fight with Robbie Lawler who has had to pull out with injury. He was storming his way to a title shot after smoking Neil Magny back in 2018 but injuries stole all of his momentum forcing him out for over two years. He got knocked out by Li Jingliang (2021) on his return fight, bounced back with a gutsy unanimous decision over Miguel Baeza (2021) but is coming off two decision losses to Geoff Neal (2021) and Michel Pereira (2022).
Alex Morono (22-7(1)) pounces on the opportunity to grace the pay-per-view card and he is full of confidence. He is currently riding a four-fight win streak which includes a TKO over Donald Cerrone (2021) and unanimous decisions over David Zawada (2021), Mickey Gall (2021) and Matt Semelsberger back in July.
SANTIAGO PONZINIBBIO VS ALEX MORONO PREDICTION
This will be at a catchweight of 180 lbs as Morono would have never of made the 170 lb mark. This is a huge opportunity for him as he has little to lose taking on someone of the calibre of Ponzinibbio on such short notice.
Like Lawler, Morono is also an aggressive striker but Ponzinibbio has also spent all camp training for a southpaw. Morono is also a quality grappler as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and he will be wise to mix it up knowing Ponzinibbio will not be well prepared for it.
That said, we expect the majority of this to remain on the feet. It will be competitive, but we feel Ponzinibbio will land more as the fight goes on finding a home for his rapid 1-2. He has more left in the tank and taking Neal and Pereira to a split decision is nothing to be scoffed at.
Morono would struggle against those two and we feel the extra 10 pounds will help Ponzinibbio. He will be more hydrated, more durable and more explosive.
Prediction: Ponzinibbio via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
