Santiago Ponzinibbio rejects UFC 287 weight change request from Kevin Holland: “Be a professional”

Santiago Ponzinibbio has rejected the possibility of a change in weight for his fight against Kevin Holland this weekend.

This Saturday night at UFC 287, Santiago Ponzinibbio returns to the Octagon to take on Kevin Holland. The two welterweights are both known as action fighters and while it may not be a clash between top contenders, it’ll certainly be an intense collision.

In recent days, however, Kevin Holland has been having yet another chaotic fight week. Alongside his verbal altercation with Jorge Masvidal in Miami, he’s also reportedly been struggling with his weight cut.

After rumors surfaced of him messaging Santiago asking about a change in weight for the fight, the Argentine had the following to say.

Santiago Ponzinibbio response to Kevin Holland's message asking to fight at 185 lbs on #UFC287

"We signed a contract, be a professional"@ESPNDeportes @espnmma pic.twitter.com/bZt4dTE4ht

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) April 5, 2023

“He sent me a DM to my social media. I don’t pay much attention on that, but my CM told me.”

“We signed a contract my friend, at 170 pounds. Be a professional. I don’t care what he says now. Maybe if he said something before we signed, we could reach an agreement. Now the we have signed, I don’t care what he says. I think he’s playing mind games, but that’s not going to work with me.”

Ponzinibbio hits back at Holland

Kevin Holland is a tough guy to read. That’s true both in and outside of the cage, with many fans and pundits long since believing he has the potential to go far.

Ponzinibbio, though, is the kind of guy that isn’t going to go away easily. There appears to be some genuine tension between them and it’ll be fascinating to see how it all plays out in Florida.

Are you excited to see Santiago Ponzinibbio take on Kevin Holland at UFC 287? Who do you favor to win the contest? Are you a fan of Holland’s personality? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!