UFC free fight: Santiago Ponzinibbio viciously stops Alex Morono in emotional victory

Watch Santiago Ponzinibbio viciously stops Alex Morono to win a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus back in 2022.

Stopping Alex Morono was a big moment for Santiago Ponzinibbio, not only because he snapped a two-fight skid, but because he picked up his first stoppage win since he overcame a life-threatening infection.

In December 2022 at UFC 282, Ponzinibbio scored a TKO win over Morono when he wobbled him bad with a brutal right hand and finished him with ground-and-pound. It was just a year into his comeback from an infection that put his career on ice for three years, and Ponzinibbio clearly was overtaken by emotion in his post-fight celebration.

Watch Ponzinibbio’s stoppage win in the video above.

Ponzinibbio (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) returns to the cage Saturday in the UFC on ESPN 59 co-main event at Ball Arena in Denver. He fights fellow veteran Muslim Salikhov (19-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in a welterweight matchup.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 59.