Daniel Zellhuber (15-1) is confident that he’ll hand Esteban Ribovics (13-1) his first knockout loss at UFC 306.
Zellhuber faces Argentina’s Ribovics on Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Mexican has racked up a three-fight winning streak after suffering his lone career loss against Trey Ogden in his UFC debut in 2022. And self-confidence is one aspect Zellhuber has benefitted the most in from this winning streak. “Golden Boy” admits he even had doubts about whether he truly belonged in the UFC after his foiled debut. However, Zellhuber has since been growing in confidence to the point where he now promises to finish Ribovics for the first time at UFC 306.
“I feel that the most important thing that I’ve been finding is self confidence,” Zellhuber told UFC.com. “When you get to the UFC and your first fight is a defeat, that is in my case, I feel that that kind of breaks you mentally a little bit. But I feel that after I lost that fight I was struggling with the thoughts of maybe belonging here in the UFC. Now after three fight win streak, the way that I’ve been winning, the way that I’m evolving in the gym, with the training partners and everything, I feel that I’m just more dangerous and ever. Because I know who I am and I am confident in my skillset.
“I’m gonna be the first one to knock out Esteban Ribovics. And I’ve been visualizing this, I’ve been manifesting this and I know it’s gonna happen… that’s why I’m saying I’m gonna knock him out. It’s not because I’m trying to be cocky, it’s because I truly believe that I’m working to get that knockout.”
UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
Meanwhile, Ribovics also suffered his lone career loss in his UFC debut against Loik Radzhabov at UFC 285 last year. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has since racked up back-to-back wins, most recently against Terrance McKinney via a 37-second head-kick KO this past May.
If he gets past Ribovics, Zellhuber would preferably fight another unranked opponent before taking on Top 15 lightweights. However, “Golden Boy” will be ready for a ranked opponent if the promotion considers him deserving of one.
“I still don’t [want] a Top 15 [opponent] just because I’m 25 years old. But of course with this being said, I feel that after I win at the Sphere, I might just be one fight away or I might get a Top 15 right away,” he said. “With the UFC you never know. I’m just ready for whatever the UFC puts on the table. If they believe I’m already good for a Top 15, I might take the fight. If they give me one more fight, it’ll be good for me, it’s more experience.”
Still early in his career, Zellhuber is in no rush to get to the top of the ladder. Zellhuber believes that while fast tracking one’s career could land them in the Top 5, they often end up at a crossroads there. The Mexican prospect would much rather face a step up in competition one level at a time and build his experience.
“Nowadays everybody wants to do it fast, but I feel that it’s better to go step by step… I feel that Esteban is just one step above my last fight and then my next fight need to be one step [higher],” Zellhuber said. “I’m comfortable doing that way because that allows me to keep growing and keep learning and keep evolving. And I feel that that’s what you need to do in order to have a successful career here in UFC. Because if you start rushing into fights, you might be good and you might do it at Top 5 but once you’re in the Top 5, you can go back but if you can’t get past the Top 5 then you’re in a tough spot. That’s why I’d rather do it one step at a time.”
