UFC 269 live blog: Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio

This is the UFC 269 live blog for Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio, a welterweight main card bout on Saturday’s fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Neal and Ponzinibbio both have delivered impressive runs in the UFC and are battling to get back into the rankings after setbacks. Neal won four straight before setbacks in his past two outings in fights against two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny. A knockout artist, Neal has won eight of his 13 fights by knockout.

Ponzinibbio, meanwhile, was arguably on the cusp of a title shot before he met a roadblock. The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2 veteran won seven straight fights, including finishes of Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny, before a severe staph infection took him out of action for more than two years. When he returned, he met disaster when Li Jingliang knocked him out at UFC on ABC 1. In his most recent performance, he rebounded with a decision over up-and-comer Miguel Baeza to keep his title hopes alive.

Check out the UFC 269 live blog.