Daniel Zellhuber and Esteban Rybovic at the UFC 306 weigh-in. Photo by Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
On Saturday at UFC 306 at The Sphere, two rising stars in the UFC lightweight division early in their careers faced off against each other as Daniel Zellhuber took on Esteban Rybovic.
Both fighters expressed surprise at the matchup being held so early, but thanks to a fantastic video package for their UFC debut at The Sphere, it promised to be an entertaining night for sure.
Both fighters were aggressive in the first minute, with Ribovich taking the offensive early and Zellhuber countering. Ribovich mixed up his attacks with kick combinations, while Zellhuber landed a few body blows and some knee strikes. There was a near-constant trade in the first round, with neither fighter doing much damage, but both fighters had their moments.
The second round began with a more technical striking exchange, with Zellhuber circling and Rybovich joining the attack. Perhaps the least surprising element of the bout was how evenly matched the two young talents were in the shot-for-shot, kick-for-kick trade. Rybovich landed a sharp right punch with about 90 seconds left, followed by another kick a second or two later. Rybovich’s kicks were often aimed at Zellhuber’s legs, often following up with combinations.
Early in the third round, Zellhuber took down his opponent with a right elbow. Ribovic got up but was poked in the eye and barely had time to recover. Maybe he could have taken more time, but soon after, Ribovic rocked Zellhuber, showering him with lefts and rights! Zellhuber tried to dodge the punches, literally tried to run away, but Ribovic chased him and showered him with more punches, Zellhuber ducked, rolled and just about survived. The two went into a hard-hitting, hard-hitting mode after two rounds of technical striking. Zellhuber landed clean, Ribovic countered with two punches, both of which landed. Zellhuber went for a jumping knee and a kick later in the round, but it was a final brawl going into the final horn!
The judges were divided on the fight, with Esteban Rybovic ultimately emerging victorious on both scorecards. Following a hard-fought flyweight bout between Ronaldo Rodriguez and Ord Osborne, the main card at UFC 306 got off to a strong start.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Esteban Rybovic defeats Daniel Zellhuber via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
