In 2018 Santiago Ponzinibbio surged up the UFC welterweight rankings to seventh spot after he KO’d Neil Magny in front of his hometown fans at UFC Fight Night Buenos Aires. That win followed up victories over Mike Perry and Gunnar Nelson and extended Gente Boa’s winning streak to seven fights.
Then disaster struck. Blood and bone infections, and adverse affects from treatment to overcome them, sidelined Ponzinibbio for two years and almost forced him to quit MMA. However, after months of rehab and therapy Ponzinibbio was able to get healthy and, eventually, back into fighting shape.