Esteban Ribovics has been impressive throughout his UFC career thus far but when you look back through his record, one night in particular sticks out.
UFC 306 was one of the most highly anticipated events of 2024 and it’s position as Bloody Elbow’s event of the year lets you know whether it lived up to expectations or not.
The promotion’s debut even at Sphere promised to be an event unlike anything else and it is still yet to be replicated by the UFC or anyone else.
Two title fights that didn’t quite deliver and a nasty cut suffered by Irene Aldana, along with the venue itself, grabbed headlines but there was one part of the show in particular that deserved such a grand spectacle as a backdrop.
Amidst all of the glitz and the glamor was one barnburner fight that started hot and only continued to burn brighter as it went on to well and truly steal the show.
Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Ribovics stole the show at UFC 306 inside Sphere
In the second fight on the main card, two relatively new additions to the lightweight division faced off when Mexico’s Daniel Zellhuber faced off with Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics.
From the moment that the opening bell sounded, it was clear that these two men were incredibly well matched with one another.
They constantly traded strikes for the full 15 minutes whilst somehow matching each others output which ended up combining for a total of 277 landed significant strikes with 653 attempted.
After two action-packed rounds, all hell broke loose in the third after Zellhuber dropped his opponent with a huge elbow in the opening minute.
Ribovics responded and when he landed clean the following minute, it did significantly more damage with an overhand right putting Zellhuber in all kinds of trouble.
Despite all of the incredible footage that the UFC put together to honor Mexico’s history, Zellhuber was the best example of all of the heart and toughness that fighters from their part of the world are known for.
Through relentless bobbing and weaving, he somehow kept himself in the fight before coming back into it as the two men went back to trading strikes right up until the final bell.
The fight of the night winning contest, which Ribovics took via an incredibly close split decision, is sure to be found on any 2024 fight of the year list.
Esteban Ribovics returns on March 1 at UFC Vegas 103
After putting on an instant classic at UFC 306, Esteban Ribovics looks to extend his current UFC winning streak to four on March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
At UFC Vegas 103, he will face a fellow striker in Nasrat Haqparast who has been on a good run of form in recent times after racking up four consecutive wins over the likes of Jared Gordon and Jamie Mullarkey.
Either man could look to push in on the top 15 of the division with a win and with both of them being under 30, there are plenty more highlights to come in their careers.
As for Daniel Zellhuber, he will make his Octagon return later on in March when he faces Elves Brener on the Mexico City Fight Night card that is headlined Brandon Moreno vs Steve Erceg.