| Esteban Ribovics | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esteban Ribovics Marijan April 27, 1996 Tartagal, Salta, Argentina |
| Other names | El Gringo |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Reach | 69.0 in (175 cm) [1] |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Salta, Argentina |
| Team | Kill Cliff FC |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
Esteban Ribovics (born April 27, 1996) is an Argentine mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). [2]
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. [3] 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. [3] [4]
Ribovics made his professional debut on December 12, 2015, and faced Lautaro Iturbe. He won the fight via Inverted Triangle Choke in the 3rd round. He then went 7–0 in his next 7 fights, winning all by finish. [4]
On December 10, 2020, he faced Javier Basurto for the Fusion FC Interim Lightweight Championship. He won the bought by 1st round KO. [5] On February 12, 2022, he fought Franco Aranda for the Samurai Fight House Lightweight Championship. He won the bought via first-round KO. [6]
Zellhuber would participate in the fifth season of Dana White's Contender Series. On September 21, 2021, he faced Brazilian Lucas Almeida, winning the fight via unanimous decision. [7] As a result, Zellhuber earned a contract with the UFC. [8]
Ribovics made his UFC promotional debut on March 4, 2023, at UFC 285. The event was scheduled to be a lightweight bout between Kamuela Kirk and Esteban Ribovics. However, Kirk pulled out of the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Loik Radzhabov. [9] Ribovics lost the fight via unanimous decision. [10]
Ribovics then had his match with Kamuela Kirk rescheduled and they fought on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290. He won the fight by unanimous decision. [11] [12]
Ribovics was scheduled to face Elves Brener on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. However, Ribovics pulled out of the fight after suffering an accident that made him unable to fight. [13]
Ribovics then faced Terrance McKinney on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56. He won the fight via 1st-round knockout. [14]
Zellhuber faced Francisco Prado on February 24, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 237. He won the fight via unanimous decision. [15] The win also earned Zellhuber his first Fight of the Night bonus award. [16]
Ribovics faced Daniel Zellhuber on September 14, 2024, at UFC 306. [17] He won the back and forth fight by split decision. [18] This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award. [19]
Ribovics faced Nasrat Haqparast on March 1, 2025, at UFC Vegas 103. Ribovics lost the fight via split decision. The bout earned him another Fight of the Night award. [20]
Ribovics faced Elves Brener on August 2, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 71. He won the fight via unanimous decision and earned his third straight Fight of the Night bonus. [21] [22]
| 17 matches | 15 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 0 |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| Results | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Weather | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–2 | Elves Brener | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Taira vs. Park | August 2, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 14–2 | Nasrat Haqparast | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev | March 1, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 14–1 | Daniel Zellhuber | Decision (split) | UFC 306 | September 14, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Terrance McKinney | KO (head kick) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento | May 11, 2024 | 1 | 0:37 | San Luis, Missouri | |
| Win | 12–1 | Kamuela Kirk | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 290 | July 8, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Loss | 11–1 | Loik Radzhabov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 285 | March 4, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 11–0 | Thomas Paull | KO (punches) | Dana White's Contender Series | August 16, 2022 | 1 | 1:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Won UFC contract |
| Win | 10–0 | Franco Aranda | KO (punch) | Samurai Fight House 3 | February 12, 2022 | 1 | 0:27 | Buenos Aires | Won the vacant SFH Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 9–0 | Javier Basurto | KO (punches) | FFC 44 | December 10, 2020 | 1 | 0:07 | Lima | Won the vacant FFC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 8–0 | Jose Zarauz | TKO (punches) | FFC 43 | March 4, 2020 | 3 | 4:40 | Lima | |
| Win | 7–0 | Brian Flamengo | KO (punches) | UFS 9 | November 9, 2019 | 1 | 0:22 | Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 6–0 | Lucas Aybar | Submission (kimura) | UFS 7 | August 4, 2019 | 1 | 4:24 | Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 5–0 | Juan Jose Ibanez | Submission (kimura) | Power Fight 1 | May 13, 2017 | 3 | 4:08 | Chaco | |
| Win | 4–0 | Maximiliano Ortiz | Submission (kimura) | HFC 18 | October 15, 2016 | 3 | 0:00 | Tendencies | |
| Win | 3–0 | Didier Nahuel | Submission (keylock) | Cage League Championship 1 | July 9, 2016 | 1 | 1:49 | Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 2–0 | Fernando Garcia | KO (superman punch) | Battle Cage 1 | May 22, 2016 | 2 | 2:30 | Weight fight agreed in (163 lb). | |
| Win | 1-0 | Lautaro Iturbe | Submission (inverted triangle choke) | HFC 14 | December 12, 2015 | 3 | 2:35 | Debut in Lightweight. |