He lost the fight by a first-round knockout, as he was stopped with a flurry of punches near the end of the opening round.
[7] Ponomarev next faced Aliev Ali at the March 8, 2021, Fair Fight event, in a middleweight title eliminator.
He won the fight by a first-round knockout, flooring Banguru with a right straight at the 1:05 minute mark of the second round.
[13] Ponomarev faced Gadzhimurad Amirzhanov for the Russian National -86 kg title at Cup of Lotus on September 16, 2022.
[14] She won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout, as Amirzhanov retired from the bout before the start of the fifth round.
[15] Ponomaraev made his first Russian National title defense against Islam Murtazaev at REN TV Fight Club on February 17, 2023.