Ribovics (17-3) stopped Green (36-18-1, 1 NC) in his first round.
Ultimate Fighting Championship weightlifting at UFC 332 Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City, knocking down the veteran three times before the referee Herb Dean
broke off the fight.
Esteban Ribovics describes the heated confrontation between King Green and Arnold Barboza Jr.
Tensions between the fighters increased after Ribovics narrowly missed weight. The Argentine lightweight team then clashed with Green’s entourage, including professional boxer Arnold Barboza Jr., before the ceremonial weigh-in.
Speaking to Hablemos MMA in Spanish, Ribovics said the pre-fight tension made the win especially rewarding.
“Yes, you could say it’s the most satisfying win of my career because it was the first time I was bullied and disrespected,” Ribovics said. “So, yeah, at that point I was like, ‘Shut up or keep talking,’ something like that. I don’t remember. They were outside and I confronted Barboza and that’s when Green came in and pushed me. They don’t have to touch me and surrounded us with their crew. That’s when respect flew out the window so we could bully out the window. Here in the streets, shut up.”
