Aug 7, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Vicente Luque (blue gloves) reacts to the fight against Michael Chiesa (red gloves) during UFC 265 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Rio adds Vicente Luque – Santiago Ponzinibbio

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Daniel Cunningham | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 10:43 PM ET

The UFC returns to Rio on October 11th and we learned this week of a really fun matchup in the welterweight division between two veterans. Brazil’s Vicente Luque (23-11-1) will have a homecoming fight as he takes on Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-9).

Dos de tus favoritos frente a frente en #UFCRio

Estos no se contienen y todos lo sabemos, Vicente Luque enfrenta a Santiago Ponzinibbio el 11 de Octubre. pic.twitter.com/S545wbc06B
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 11, 2025

Starting out with Luque, he will be looking to bounce back after his last fight. Luque showed everyone back in December that he’s still a force in the division when he submitted Themba Gorimbo in the first round. That led Luque to a fight with Kevin Holland in June and unfortunately that one didn’t go his way. Luque was submitted and it dropped him out of the rankings. He’s hoping to have a bounce back performance in Rio.

The same can be said for Ponzinibbio who has lost three of his last four. Back in May at UFC Des Moines, Ponzinibbio was knocked out by Daniel Rodriguez. That prevented him from winning two straight after his knockout win back in January. At one point, Ponzinibbio was looked at as someone who could win the welterweight title but injuries derailed his career. Now, he’s just looking to show that he still belongs in the UFC.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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