27-year-old Esteban Ribovics, a prospect with immense potential, has made quite the impact with a 13-1 record so far. As Dana White is setting up a love letter for the Mexican people with UFC 306, Ribovics will be featured on that card against Daniel Zellhuber on the main card of the PPV. But enough said about his professional career, as our attempt today would be to dig deeper into the prospect’s background.

Esteban Ribovics has fought four times in the UFC, including his fight in Dana White‘s Contender Series, which earned him the UFC contract. He’s won three of those four fights as he heads for his next. But his journey wasn’t that easy as he was born in a rather small town.

All we know about Esteban Ribovics’ background and early life

Although the UFC is dominated by American MMA fighters, Esteban Ribovics is one of three current Argentine fighters, besides Santiago Ponzinibbio and Ailin Perez, who’s making waves in the lightweight division. But did you know that he comes from a very small city? Yes, Ribovics was welcomed into this world in Salta, which is the provincial capital in the northwestern mountainous region of Argentina.

The city of Salta, founded in 1582 and known for its Spanish heritage, is home to just 1,440,000 (as per 2022 data). If we’re to guess Estaban Ribovics’ ethnicity, it would be difficult partly because the 27-year-old is a ghost on the internet right now, and there’s not much information on him in the public domain.

Salta includes various communities, including people of Incan origin, the dominant community in Ribovics’ birthplace, and several European and African ethnic groups. So, Esteban Ribovics could belong to any one of these groups. Meanwhile, if you’re wondering where Esteban Ribovics fought before the UFC, well, he made a name for himself in his native country of Argentina first.

Where does Ribovics train? Journey before UFC

The first team that Esteban Ribovics ever trained with was the Alfa Team, based in Cordoba, Argentina. We don’t know exactly when he started training there, but what we do know from sources is that he is the most experienced fighter in that gym. But things changed when Ribovics moved to the United States because he had to find a new team. However, it wasn’t that hard for the 27-year-old as he joined one of the most renowned MMA gyms, Kill Cliff FC.

As we all know, Kill Cliff FC is home to some of the best MMA fighters that the sport of MMA has ever seen. A number of them made their name in the UFC, and Esteban Ribovics might be lucky to have gotten their rub, as it could prove significant in his development as a fighter. Besides, he always had a deep interest in MMA, having taught several people back home before he even started his journey as a fighter. Ribovics didn’t think about being a professional fighter until his father passed away when he was 12, and after six years, he had his first pro fight.

The beginning of his journey might have been hard, but now he’s established himself as a force to reckon with. It remains to be seen if he etch his name in the lightweight division’s history, which may not be the easiest of tasks. However, Esteban Ribovics could make his first move by maintaining his winning streak in his upcoming fight at the Sphere.