Athletes
Esteban Ribovics Has The Top 10 In His Sights
Argentine Lightweight Plans To Gatecrash The Top 15 With The Biggest Win Of His UFC Career.
Esteban Ribovics faces a formidable challenge at UFC 327, but the prize on the other side is motivating him to reach new heights. Argentina’s Ribovics has been consistently delivering fan-friendly fights over the past few years, with each of his last three Octagon appearances earning him Fight of the Night honors. But while he’s been entertaining, win or lose, he wants to take his skills all the way to the top tier of the sport.
Ribovics returns to the Octagon in Miami on Saturday night, where he’ll take on No. 8-ranked lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot in what, on paper, is the biggest fight in Ribovics’ career. It’s an opportunity the 29-year-old is clearly buzzing for, and that enthusiasm is heightened by the fact that it’s taking place in his adopted home state of Florida.
UFC 327: Procházka vs Ulberg Fight By Fight Preview
“It's amazing. It's the first time this is happening, the first time I'm fighting so close to (where) I train,” said the Kill Cliff FC product. “Playing at home, close to my friends, family, team, and everything else, and it's going to be a Latin night, just like we did in the Sphere.”
Ribovics’ win over Mexico’s Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 at the Sphere back in September 2024 is undoubtedly his career highlight to date. After an all-out war, with the pair going back and forth for the full 15 minutes, Ribovics was declared the split-decision winner. It further cemented his reputation as one of the biggest crowd-pleasers in the UFC’s lightweight division, following his stunning 37-second head-kick KO of notorious fast-finisher Terrance McKinney earlier in the year.
Esteban Ribovics Knocks Out Terrance McKinney In Round One | UFC St. Louis
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Esteban Ribovics Knocks Out Terrance McKinney In Round One | UFC St. Louis
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Since then, Ribovics dropped a split decision to Nasrat Haqparast at the Meta APEX in March 2025, but bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Elves Brener last time out. Both fights, plus the win over Zellhuber, earned Fight of the Night honors.
Those wins have helped Ribovics elevate his stock, not just in the UFC, but also in Argentina, where he has enjoyed great support from the fans back home.
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“I've received so many messages of support,” he explained. “People just hit me up, just sending good vibes, especially a lot of people from Argentina, a lot of good artists from Argentina, as well, sending some stuff. I know that they’ve got my back, so I'm very excited about that.”
Those big performances have earned more than just bonus money and messages of support for Ribovics. The UFC matchmakers have taken notice, too. This weekend, “El Gringo” receives his long-awaited shot at ranked opposition as he takes on Poland’s Gamrot at UFC 327. It’s just reward for his displays in the Octagon and, as he explained, helped his self-confidence that his approach to the fight game is paying off.
“I think it adds some flavor to it. It's pretty good, and also, I feel very happy with the work being done,” he said. “I think it's proof (and) validation that the work that we put in is working, and it is giving us results. But I'm going to come back to a phrase that I like a lot, that says: 'train so hard that your idols become your rivals,' and I think that's what we're getting right now. And that's the feeling that I have about this.”
Clearly, Ribovics has plenty of respect for his opponent. Gamrot is a former two-division champion for powerhouse European promotion KSW and has proved himself to be one of the toughest competitors in the stacked lightweight division.
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Victories over the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, and former champion Rafael dos Anjos have helped build “Gamer’s” well-earned reputation as one of the toughest tests out there at 155 pounds. But it’s a test that Ribovics is excited to face.
“I have followed his career – I've seen him ever since I was not even in this organization, and I like his style,” he admitted. “I like what he has – the jiu-jitsu, the grappling, and I like the challenges, as well. I like to be challenged to do something different and new and evolve as a fighter. I think that's what I'm getting with this one.”
Full Fight | Esteban Ribovics vs Daniel Zellhuber
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Full Fight | Esteban Ribovics vs Daniel Zellhuber
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Ribovic’s UFC highlight reel is packed with highlights showcasing his gritty, at-times spectacular striking. But, despite most people seeing him as a stand-up fighter, Ribovics actually started life in the professional ranks as a submission ace.
“That's how I started my first six professional fights,” he said with a smile.“There were six wins by submission, and then the knockouts started coming, as well. My ground game is not bad – I think it's pretty good. And I've been hearing from my friends who are grapplers, who are good on the ground, wrestlers as well – they've been saying that my ground game is good. So I do trust them. I take them at their word, and do think that things are improving. What is good is already getting better, and I've been improving a lot, so I trust what they say.”
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So, the warning from Ribovics is clear – don’t expect it to be Easy Street on the mat. As for on the feet, the highlight reel speaks for itself. Wherever the fight goes, Ribovics sees routes to victory, and he plans on defeating Gamrot to send a message to the rest of the lightweight division.
“The message I have to say is, ‘Here comes an Argentinian with heavy hands. Someone who's complete, who's very hungry, and I'm gonna go through them one by one, and I'm gonna beat them, all the way to the top.’”
UFC 327: Procházka vs Ulberg took place live from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on April 11, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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