Esteban Ribovics

Esteban Ribovics
BornEsteban Ribovics Marijan
(1996-04-27) 27 April 1996
Tartagal, Salta, Argentina
Other namesEl Gringo
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach69.0 in (175 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofSalta, Argentina
TeamKill Cliff FC
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins16
By knockout8
By submission5
By decision3
Losses3
By submission1
By decision2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Esteban Ribovics Marijan[2] (born 27 April 1996) is an Argentine mixed martial artist who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[3]

Background

Ribovics was born in Salta, Argentina. He first encountered mixed martial arts at the age of 12, when his friend introduced him to it, and he took a liking to it following his first class.[4] After finishing high school, at 17, he moved to Córdoba and began perfecting his skills, training in multiple disciplines such as boxing, muay thai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He made his professional debut at age 18 with Infernales de Tartagal, in Salta.[4][5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ribovics made his professional debut on 12 December 2015, and faced Lautaro Iturbe. He won the fight via Inverted Triangle Choke in the third round. He then went 7–0 in his next 7 fights, winning all by finish.[5]

On 10 December 2020, he faced Javier Basurto for the Fusion FC Interim Lightweight Championship. He won the bought by first-round knockout.[6] On 12 February 2022, he fought Franco Aranda for the Samurai Fight House Lightweight Championship.[7] He won the bout once again by first-round knockout.[8] He then earned a Dana White's Contender Series contract in August 2022 by stopping Thomas Paull in 90 seconds.[8]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ribovics was scheduled to make his UFC promotional debut against Kamuela Kirk on 4 March 2023, at UFC 285.[9] However, Kirk pulled out of the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Loik Radzhabov.[10] Ribovics lost the fight via unanimous decision.[11]

Ribovics then had his match with promotional newcomer Kamuela Kirk rescheduled and they fought on 8 July 2023, at UFC 290.[12] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[13]

Ribovics was scheduled to face Elves Brener on 4 November 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231.[14] However, Ribovics pulled out of the fight after suffering an accident that made him unable to fight.[15]

Ribovics then faced Terrance McKinney on 11 May 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56.[16] He won the fight via first-round knockout.[17]

Ribovics faced Daniel Zellhuber on 14 September 2024, at UFC 306.[18] He won the back and forth fight by split decision.[19] This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award.[20]

Ribovics faced Nasrat Haqparast on 1 March 2025, at UFC Fight Night 253.[21] Ribovics lost the fight via split decision.[22] The bout earned him another Fight of the Night award.[23] 9 out of 11 media outlets scored the bout for Ribovics.[24]

Ribovics ended up facing Elves Brener on 2 August 2025, at UFC on ESPN 71.[25] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[26] This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.[27]

Ribovics faced Mateusz Gamrot on 11 April 2026, at UFC 327.[28] He lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.[29]

RIbovics faced Edson Barboza on 15 August 2026, at UFC 330.[30] He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round.[31]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 16 wins 3 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 5 1
By decision 3 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–3 Edson Barboza TKO (punches) UFC 330 15 August 2026 2 1:32 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Loss 15–3 Mateusz Gamrot Submission (arm triangle choke) UFC 327 11 April 2026 2 4:19 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 15–2 Elves Brener Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Taira vs. Park 2 August 2025 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 14–2 Nasrat Haqparast Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev 1 March 2025 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 14–1 Daniel Zellhuber Decision (split) UFC 306 14 September 2024 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 13–1 Terrance McKinney KO (head kick) UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento 11 May 2024 1 0:37 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Win 12–1 Kamuela Kirk Decision (unanimous) UFC 290 8 July 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–1 Loik Radzhabov Decision (unanimous) UFC 285 4 March 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–0 Thomas Paull KO (punches) Dana White's Contender Series 50 16 August 2022 1 1:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 10–0 Franco Aranda KO (punch) Samurai Fight House 3 12 February 2022 1 0:27 Buenos Aires, Argentina Won the inaugural SFH Lightweight Championship.
Win 9–0 Javier Basurto KO (punches) Fusion FC 44 10 December 2020 1 0:07 Lima, Peru Won the interim FFC Lightweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Jose Zarauz TKO (punches) Fusion FC 43 4 March 2020 3 4:40 Lima, Peru
Win 7–0 Brian Flamengo KO (punches) United Fighting Series 9 9 November 2019 1 0:22 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win 6–0 Lucas Aybar Submission (kimura) United Fighting Series 7 4 August 2019 1 4:24 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win 5–0 Juan Jose Ibanez Submission (kimura) Power Fight: La Batalla del Puente 1 13 May 2017 3 4:08 Corrientes, Argentina
Win 4–0 Maximiliano Ortiz Submission (kimura) Hualsur FC: Noche de Campeones 18 15 October 2016 3 0:00 Córdoba, Argentina
Win 3–0 Didier Nahuel Submission (keylock) Cage League Championship 1 9 July 2016 1 1:49 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Win 2–0 Fernando Garcia KO (superman punch) Battle Cage 1 22 May 2016 2 2:30 Las Heras, Argentina Catchweight (163 lb) bout.
Win 1–0 Lautaro Iturbe Submission (inverted triangle choke) Hualsur FC: Noche de Campeones 14 12 December 2015 3 2:35 Córdoba, Argentina Lightweight debut.

[43]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Daniel Zellhuber ("Golden Boy") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "Esteban Ribovics ("El Gringo") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Esteban Ribovics MMA Career Stats". ESPN. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 Soza, Fabricio (23 December 2020). "MMA: un peleador argentino ganó un título en Perú con un demoledor nocaut en 7 segundos". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Esteban Ribovics ("El Gringo") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Alexander K. Lee (12 December 2020). "Missed Fists: Arm-wrenching hammerlock leads to screaming submission, more". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Shawn Bitter (9 February 2022). "Weekly MMA prospect report: It's showtime!". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  8. 1 2 Patrick Stumberg (28 February 2023). "UFC 285 predictions: Early 'prelims' undercard preview - Jones vs. Gane". mmamania.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  9. ↑ Steve Duncan (6 January 2023). "Esteban Ribovics will make his official debut on the UFC 285 card". mma.uno. Retrieved 6 January 2023. (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ Steve Duncan (26 February 2023). "Kirk out, Loik Radzhabov faces Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285". mma.uno. Retrieved 27 February 2023. (in Spanish)
  11. ↑ Shawn Bitter (4 March 2023). "Loik Radzhabov wins thriller against Esteban Ribovics in UFC 285 opener". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  12. ↑ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (10 May 2023). "UFC 290 targets Kamuela Kirk vs. Esteban Ribovics addition". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  13. ↑ Cade Morehouse (8 July 2023). "UFC 290: Esteban Ribovics overcomes early adversity, storms back against Kamuela Kirk". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Guilherme Cruz (1 November 2023). "Kaynan Kruschewsky replaces Esteban Ribovics, will face Elvis Brener at UFC Sao Paulo". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Redacción Elintra (6 November 2023). "Esteban Ribovics aclara la razón de su abandono para UFC Sao Paulo" (in Spanish). elintra.com.ar. Retrieved 29 March 2026. (in Spanish)
  16. ↑ Tristen Critchfield (13 February 2024). "Terrance McKinney to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC event on May 11". sherdog.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  17. ↑ Jay Anderson (11 May 2024). "UFC St. Louis: Esteban Ribovics lands cataclysmic head kick on Terrance McKinney". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  18. ↑ Nolan King (26 July 2024). "Noche UFC at Sphere gets Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title-fight headliner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Staff (14 September 2024). "UFC 306: Insane third round closes out Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  20. 1 2 Chris Taylor (14 September 2024). "UFC 306 bonus report: Ignacio Bahamondes one of four fighters to take home an extra $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Staff (27 December 2024). "UFC Fight of the Year contender books next opponent". si.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Mathis Desjardins (1 March 2025). "UFC Vegas 103: Underdog Nasrat Haqparast Secures Split Decision Win Over Esteban Ribovics". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  23. 1 2 Chris Taylor (1 March 2025). "UFC Vegas 103 Bonus Report: Mario Pinto one of four fighters to take home $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  24. ↑ MMA Decisions (2 March 2025). "Nasrat Haqparast defeats Esteban Ribovics". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  25. ↑ Danny Segura and Ken Hathaway (1 August 2025). "UFC on ESPN 71's Elves Brener plans to beat Esteban Ribovics, make specific callouts". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  26. ↑ Brett Cagle (2 August 2025). "UFC Vegas 108: Esteban Ribovics wins action-heavy affair against Elves Brener". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  27. 1 2 Dan Hiergesell (3 August 2025). "Bonuses! Duncan vs. Rebecki, Ribovics vs. Brener both earn Fight of the Night awards - UFC Vegas 108". mmamania.com. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  28. ↑ Nolan King (27 February 2026). "UFC 327 adds two key lightweight bouts". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  29. ↑ Eddie Law (11 April 2026). "Mateusz Gamrot dominate, finished Ribovics, calls out Diego Lopes". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  30. ↑ Marcel Dorff (11 June 2026). "Classic rivalry between Brazil and Argentina at UFC 330". heavy.com. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  31. ↑ Jay Anderson (15 August 2026). "UFC 330: Edson Barboza splits shin, Esteban Ribovics finishes retiring legend". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  32. ↑ Mike Jones (13 January 2025). "UFC Honors 2024 Event Recap". homeoffight.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  33. ↑ "The Fights | 2024 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  34. ↑ "Fight Of The Year 2024 - Zellhuber Vs. Ribovics". www.lowkickmma.com. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  35. ↑ Taylor, Tom. "B/R MMA Awards: Best Fight, Fighter, Knockout and Submission From 2024". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  36. ↑ "Full Violence Awards 2024". FULL VIOLENCE STORE. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  37. ↑ Meshew, Jed (31 December 2024). "2024 Best of the Rest Awards: Event of the Year, Round of the Year, Bozo of the Year, and more". MMA Fighting: UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  38. ↑ Bohn, Mike. "MMA Junkie's 2024 Fight of the Year: Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  39. ↑ "Best of UFC in 2024: Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber wins Fight of the Year in amazing bout at Noche UFC". CBS Sports. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  40. ↑ "MMA 2024 Year in Review: Fight of the Year". Cageside Press. 4 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  41. ↑ Alexander, Brady (9 December 2024). "2024 BodySlam MMA Year-End Awards". Bodyslam.net. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  42. ↑ Richardson, Andrew (26 December 2024). "UFC/MMA Best 'Fights Of The Year' 2024 - Top 5 List". MMA Mania. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  43. ↑ "Sherdog". Sherdog. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
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