"He's got the bigger power by far" - 'Big' John McCarthy discusses Robbie Lawler's chances against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 282
During an episode of his 'Weighing In' podcast on YouTube, John McCarthy analyzed and dissected the upcoming welterweight bout between Robbie Lawler and Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 282.
Since returning from his two-year layoff, 'The Argentine Dagger' has found it tough inside the octagon, losing three of his last four outings. After suffering a vicious knockout against Li Jingliang, the 35-year-old earned a victory over Miguel Baeza, but that was quickly followed by back-to-back split decision losses.
While praising Robbie Lawler for his longevity in the sport, John McCarthy insisted that, though he hits harder than his South American opponent, he may struggle with the volume coming back his way.
"He's got the bigger power by far than Ponzinibbio, but Ponzinibbio throws a lot of shots. And when someone is throwing a lot of shots, Robbie does a lot of tuck and roll, he moves his head in and out, but when he's doing it, he doesn't throw... Ponzinibbio, a guy that's got a high-volume attack and continues to come at you... Sometimes [Robbie Lawler] he'll take a round off... He's not going to have that ability here, this is one of those ones, he's going to have to be fighting his a** off the whole time."
The three-time Referee of the Year winner continued with his brutally honest assessment of the clash, admitting that he wished the UFC would have given an aging Lawler a different opponent.
Check out what John McCarthy and co-host Josh Thomson had to say about the welterweight collision in the video below.
Robbie Lawler's best moments in the UFC
Robbie Lawler currently finds himself enduring the worst run of form he's ever had throughout his career in mixed martial arts, having won just once in six fights, dating back to late 2017.
While it's clear the 40-year-old is coming to the end of his time in the sport, we must not forget just how much of a savage he was during his time years in the promotion.
After making the switch over from Strikeforce, Lawler took no time settling into his new surroundings, winning six of his first seven fights and capturing welterweight gold in the process.
The veteran was known for being in wars inside the cage, but arguably none were better than his 2015 fight of the year title matchup against the well-rounded and much younger prospect Rory MacDonald.
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