Esteban Ribovics
El Gringo
Argentina
Victorious in back-and-forth affair
Ribovics defeated Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Vegas 108 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
On paper, this was a razor-thin fight, with both men landing exactly 123 total strikes and Ribovics having the slight edge in those deemed "significant." In practice, it was Ribovics who landed the harder shots in Rounds 1 and 3, with Brener starting to fade a bit late, due at least in part to Ribovics' work to the body. Ribovics also showcased impressive takedown defense, stuffing all nine of Brener's attempts. In the end, Ribovics picks up his third consecutive Fight of the Night bonus, with both men taking home an extra $50,000. He also bounces back from a March loss to Nasrat Haqparast and has won four of last five fights overall.
On paper, this was a razor-thin fight, with both men landing exactly 123 total strikes and Ribovics having the slight edge in those deemed "significant." In practice, it was Ribovics who landed the harder shots in Rounds 1 and 3, with Brener starting to fade a bit late, due at least in part to Ribovics' work to the body. Ribovics also showcased impressive takedown defense, stuffing all nine of Brener's attempts. In the end, Ribovics picks up his third consecutive Fight of the Night bonus, with both men taking home an extra $50,000. He also bounces back from a March loss to Nasrat Haqparast and has won four of last five fights overall.
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Booked in Vegas again
Ribovics will take on Elves Brener in a lightweight bout at UFC Vegas 108 on Aug. 2, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
The Argentinian lightweight is coming off a tough loss via split decision against Nasrat Haqparast back in March. That dropped his UFC record to 3-2, and he'll look to get back on the winning side of the Octagon against an opponent with an identical win-loss record in the promotion in Brener.
The Argentinian lightweight is coming off a tough loss via split decision against Nasrat Haqparast back in March. That dropped his UFC record to 3-2, and he'll look to get back on the winning side of the Octagon against an opponent with an identical win-loss record in the promotion in Brener.
Falls to Haqparast in Vegas
Ribovics lost to Nasrat Haqparast via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Ribovics may have deserved a better fate here as a favorite of roughly (-275), as he won the battle of significant strikes in two of the three rounds and 147-to-135 overall. However, a strong Round 3 for Haqparast, which included a takedown and 0:49 of control time, could have very well been the difference-maker. Ribovics sees his three-fight winning streak come to a close, but his stock fell very little here after an action-packed bout. Both men would go on to take home $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Ribovics may have deserved a better fate here as a favorite of roughly (-275), as he won the battle of significant strikes in two of the three rounds and 147-to-135 overall. However, a strong Round 3 for Haqparast, which included a takedown and 0:49 of control time, could have very well been the difference-maker. Ribovics sees his three-fight winning streak come to a close, but his stock fell very little here after an action-packed bout. Both men would go on to take home $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Turns around against Haqparast
Ribovics will take on Nasrat Haqparast in a lightweight matchup at UFC Vegas 103 on March 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Ribovics took quite a bit of punishment in his last trip to the cage, absorbing 121 significant strikes in a split-decision victory over Daniel Zellhuber that won FOTN honors. That makes three consecutive victories for "El Gringo," who will now face an opponent in Haqparast who is riding a four-fight winning streak of his own. In a similar fashion, Haqparast absorbed 141 significant strikes in a split-decision victory, though Ribovics' trials were more recent. Both combatants land and get hit at extremely high rates, with little wrestling to speak of, so expect this one to be an action-packed, stand-up affair with a spot in the lightweight rankings on the line.
Ribovics took quite a bit of punishment in his last trip to the cage, absorbing 121 significant strikes in a split-decision victory over Daniel Zellhuber that won FOTN honors. That makes three consecutive victories for "El Gringo," who will now face an opponent in Haqparast who is riding a four-fight winning streak of his own. In a similar fashion, Haqparast absorbed 141 significant strikes in a split-decision victory, though Ribovics' trials were more recent. Both combatants land and get hit at extremely high rates, with little wrestling to speak of, so expect this one to be an action-packed, stand-up affair with a spot in the lightweight rankings on the line.
Wins possible Fight of the Year
Ribovics defeated Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 306 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
This will go down as a Fight of the Year contender, while Round 3 is a candidate for the best frame of all time. That's not an exaggeration. It was a stellar bout for two rounds, but the final five minutes was exactly what makes this sport great. With the fight tied on a pair of scorecards and the result on the line, Ribovics ate a huge elbow and was knocked down. He could have folded his tent and gone home. Instead, he floored the gas pedal and unloaded everything, including the kitchen sink, on Zellhuber. As a result of the ridiculous toughness of his opponent and the referee Jason Herzog's decision not to stop the fight, Ribovics didn't earn the stoppage and had to sweat the decision. To give you an idea how dominant Esteban was in the final frame, the significant strikes were 78-64 Zellhuber after ten minutes. It ended up 156-121 Ribovics when all was said and done. Absolutely unbelievable. It's no surprise both men went on to win $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. Esteban has won three straight on the heels of a decision loss to Loik Radzhabov in his UFC debut back in March 2023.
This will go down as a Fight of the Year contender, while Round 3 is a candidate for the best frame of all time. That's not an exaggeration. It was a stellar bout for two rounds, but the final five minutes was exactly what makes this sport great. With the fight tied on a pair of scorecards and the result on the line, Ribovics ate a huge elbow and was knocked down. He could have folded his tent and gone home. Instead, he floored the gas pedal and unloaded everything, including the kitchen sink, on Zellhuber. As a result of the ridiculous toughness of his opponent and the referee Jason Herzog's decision not to stop the fight, Ribovics didn't earn the stoppage and had to sweat the decision. To give you an idea how dominant Esteban was in the final frame, the significant strikes were 78-64 Zellhuber after ten minutes. It ended up 156-121 Ribovics when all was said and done. Absolutely unbelievable. It's no surprise both men went on to win $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. Esteban has won three straight on the heels of a decision loss to Loik Radzhabov in his UFC debut back in March 2023.
Slated to face Zellhuber
Ribovics will take on Daniel Zellhuber in a lightweight bout in UFC Noche at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sep. 14.
ANALYSIS
Ribovics has the numbers on his side, as he owns a 13-1 record, but there's no question this test against Zellhuber is the biggest one of his career yet. Ribovics defeated Terrance McKinney via KO (head kick) at 0:37 of Round 1 of his most recent fight in St. Louis in May this year, but facing Zellhuber represents a steep challenge in terms of the quality of his opponent.
Ribovics has the numbers on his side, as he owns a 13-1 record, but there's no question this test against Zellhuber is the biggest one of his career yet. Ribovics defeated Terrance McKinney via KO (head kick) at 0:37 of Round 1 of his most recent fight in St. Louis in May this year, but facing Zellhuber represents a steep challenge in terms of the quality of his opponent.