Latest news with #EstebanRibovics
USA Today
02-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Fight Night 253 bonuses: Biggest favorite gets $50K, biggest ‘dog shut out for KO
The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card, including one to the card's biggest betting favorite, but Sam Patterson, who has overwhelming odds of 12-1 against him to win by knockout, wasn't good enough for a bonus for his KO. After UFC Fight Night 253, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below. Fight of the Night: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Nasrat Haqparast (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Esteban Ribovics (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) put on a thrilling slugfest at lightweight in the middle of the main card. Haqparast, an underdog in the fight, won for the fifth straight time, four of which have been decisions. Performance of the Night: Mario Pinto Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:39 Mario Pinto (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was a heavy favorite in his promotional debut at heavyweight against Austen Lane (13-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC), but he struggled with some potential UFC jitters. But quickly into the second round, he landed a cannon and put Lane's lights out. Performance of the Night: Manel Kape Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:16 Manel Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) got away with a pair of eye scrapes against Asu Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the main event, the second of which seemed to directly lead to his TKO finish. But before that, he was mostly rolling and with the win, called for a flyweight title shot – which would be a rematch of a previous loss to Alexandre Pantoja before he became champ. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 253. Gallery UFC Fight Night 253: Best photos from Las Vegas View 105 photos
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Esteban Ribovics hopes a win over Nasrat Haqparast gets him into UFC's lightweight top 15
LAS VEGAS – Esteban Ribovics knows the test in front of him Saturday is against someone with significantly more experience – and that's just what he's hoping pays off. Ribovics (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) takes on Nasrat Haqparast (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout on the UFC Fight Night 253 (ESPN+) main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ribovics thinks a win, which would be his fourth straight, would be a ticket to the next level. 'I think a win over him is going to take me closer, or take me into the top 15 of the division,' Ribovics said Wednesday at a media day for the event. The experience thing, he thinks will only play a factor up to a certain point. After that, he's banking on some intangibles. 'He has a lot more fights than me. He has a lot more experience in the UFC. But I want the glory. I'm going for the glory. And besides the experience, I want it more than him,' Ribovics said. 'I always say (my fights are) going to be bang-bang. I am not sure if he's going to go out and trade, but I am ready for that.' After a 90-second KO win on DWCS in 2022 got him into the UFC, his 11-0 unbeaten record was spoiled with a loss to Loik Radzhabov in his promotional debut. But since then, he has wins over Kamuela Kirk, Terrance McKinney, and a Fight of the Night split decision over Daniel Zellhuber this past September. Saturday will give him three fights in a little more than nine months, and that's the kind of activity level Ribovics is hoping for. 'I want to fight three times this year,' he said. 'I usually fight two, but I want to do it three times this year. I know fighting three times is going to get me to my goal faster that way.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 253. #UFCVegas103
