BRASILIA, Brazil – A clean left hook from Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) signaled the beginning of the end for Wendell Oliveira (24-8 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who succumbed to a TKO finish from a brutal flurry of punches at 1:20 of Round 1. The welterweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 51 event at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass. An emotional Oliveira made the walk to the cage wrapped in the Brazilian flag, and for the first few seconds it seemed as if that emotion might serve him well in the fight. But after tenderizing Ponzinibbio’s thigh with leg kicks early on, Oliveira made the mistake of standing still in front of his opponent just a little too long, which is when Ponzinibbio unleashed the left hook that wobbled Oliveira, leaving him open for a follow-up right hand that forced him back against the fence.
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UFC Fight Night 51 results: Santiago Ponzinibbio blasts through Wendell Oliveira – MMA Junkie