Santiago Ponzinibbio Slams Judges for Split-Decision Loss Against Muslin Salikhov

Santiago Ponzinibbio has seemingly lost some faith in judges’ scorecards after his split-decision loss against Muslim Salikhov on Saturday.

Ponzinibbio met Salikhov in the welterweight co-main event at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver, Colorado. “The Argentine Dagger” came up on the short side of a controversial split decision after technical striking affair that was somewhat lacking in action.

Ponzinibbio slammed the decision, as he believes he did enough to get his hand raised. With three of his last four losses coming via split decision, Ponzinibbio is starting to believe that his only way to victory is a finish.

“We think we won the fight,” the 37-year-old said in a video on MMAjunkie.com ). “We at least had two clear rounds. In many MMA places that specialize in this, most people gave me two rounds and some even three. But oh well. Whenever we go to the judges, this is how it goes for me. If I don’t knock my opponent out, the decisions don’t go in our favor. I keep my head up and continue to move forward. I’m a fighter in the cage and in life. I’ll continue to fight.”

Verdict MMA, one of the most well-recognized public scoring platforms, had Ponzinibbio winning all three rounds against Salikhov. Sharing an image of the Verdict scorecard on social media, Ponzinibbio further highlighted the impact of questionable scorecards on fighters at large.

“This is proof of how poorly the judges scored,” he wrote. “There are three controversial fights. All the rating sites in MMA gave me the fight. [Verdict MMA], one of the most important sites, graphic that the three rounds were on my side. I wonder, what do the judges see? By not doing their job properly, they waste the work and effort that one makes. And I don't just say it for myself, but also for all those who the judges decide for the wrong side because who knows what judgment to score.”

Ponzinibbio is currently 2-5 since 2021. Prior to those struggles, the "Argentine Dagger" authored a seven-bout winning streak under the UFC banner.