Ponzinibbio outduels Perry in 3-round battle for 6th straight win

Santiago Ponzinibbio had to use everything in his arsenal Saturday to make it six in a row.

In a highly anticipated clash of welterweight knockout artists at UFC on FOX 26, the 31-year-old outstruck Mike Perry and scored takedowns when he needed them most to earn a unanimous decision in Winnipeg, Manitoba, improving to 8-2 in the Octagon.

The victory gave Ponzinibbio the gumption to challenge the winner of the bill's main event between Robbie Lawler and Rafael dos Anjos to an interim title bout (reigning champion Tyron Woodley is expected to undergo shoulder surgery).

After a rather tentative first round in which Perry connected sporadically as Ponzinibbio stayed on his bicycle, respecting his foe's knockout power, the Argentine gave us the firefight we'd been pining for in the second stanza. With crimson staining his noggin, Ponzinibbio connected regularly with low kicks and tagged Perry with a left hook before teeing off with combinations, keeping the slugger on the end of his reach and his dome out of harm's way to tie it up at a round apiece heading into the third.

Perry managed to end Round 2 with a flurry of his own, but paid for a moment of recklessness at the top of the third. Ponzinibbio countered his wild entry with a thunderous spinning back fist that put him on his hind parts:

Perry's chin miraculously held up, but Ponzinibbio remained composed. He scored a pair of takedowns and chewed the clock from top position before putting a button on the showing with a late flurry once the action returned to the feet.

The raw, yet improving Perry's two-fight knockout streak was snapped by his second professional defeat in 13 pro contests - both of which have ended in decisions.