Esteban Ribovics lived up to his own huge billing at UFC 306.
The Argentine fighter piled pressure on himself by revealing his goal is to be on the same level as two of the country’s greatest legends before taking on Daniel Zellhuber on Saturday night.
Messi and Maradona are Argentina’s two greatest legendsGETTY
Footage of Ribovics revealing his dream was beamed onto the Las Vegas Sphere’s £2billion screen.
“I want my name to be heard as much as [Diego] Maradona’s, as much as [Lionel] Messi’s,” the 14-1 UFC prospect said ahead of his latest outing.
Somehow, he managed to deliver a performance that made some fans think that he might actually realise his dream of being a huge star like two of football’s biggest names.
The first 10 minutes were highly competitive and equally entertaining.
However, things got even more exciting as Ribovics and Zellhuber went hunting for finishes in the third frame.
Maradona and Messi’s compatriot got dropped by an elbow early in round three, but he rebounded spectacularly and nearly finished the fight moments later.
Ribovics hurt his opponent badly. A massive right hand put Zellhuber on wobbly legs and he stumbled around the Octagon like a baby giraffe for the next two minutes.
A relentless barrage of punches came his way. UFC commentator Daniel Cormier joked that Ribovics threw ‘1000 punches’ as he tried to close the show.
Amazingly, Zellhuber survived. Not only did he stay in the fight, he actually began to land eye-catching shots again – but every time he ate one he appeared stunned.
Both men survived to hear the final bell before two of the three cageside judges declared Ribovics the winner with 29-28 scorecards – the dissenting judge had the fight 29-28 for Zellhuber.
Ribovics put a beating on his opponent in round threeGetty
It was enough to get him a split decision win in a Fight of the Year contenderGetty
UFC legend Joe Rogan, who has been covering high-level MMA for almost 30 years, raved about what he had just witnessed before conducting his post-fight interview with the winner.
‘One of the best fights I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said.
Rogan’s co-commentator Jon Anik immediately began talking up Ribovics vs Zellhuber as a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender and fans watching along at home agreed with him.
One tweeted: “I have seen enough Zellhuber vs Ribovics is fight of the year!!!”
Another said: “HOLY S***!!! ROUND OF THE YEAR AND FIGHT OF THE YEAR COULD BE WRAPPED UP!!! TAKE A BOW, DANIEL ZELLHUBER AND ESTEBAN RIBOVICS!!!!”
A third person added: “Not to be a prisoner of the moment, but Zellhuber vs. Ribovics is the frontrunner for Fight of the Year.”
Someone else joked: “Damn, Messi just won a UFC fight.”
There’s plenty of great bouts already in the rear-view mirror this year and many more will take place before 2024 comes to a close.
Whatever happens, Ribovics and Zellhuber will be mentioned when ‘Fight of the Year’ is discussed in December.
