Esteban Ribovics won a highly entertaining back-and-forth striking battle with Elves Brener over three rounds tonight at UFC On ESPN 71.
Round One
Calf kick for Ribovics. Body kick from Brener. Brener tries for a takedown, but Ribovics is straight back up. Ribovics clinching up against the cage now.
Ribovics able to land a takedown. Brener scrambles and almost gets Ribovics back, but then opts to just stand back up.
Uppercut for Ribovics. Jab for Brener. One-two from Brener. Leg kick for Ribovics and punches in return from Brener. Punch for Ribovics and two punches back from Brener.
Straight right from Ribovics, but Brener lands a counter. Body punch from Brener and two-punches on the counter from Ribovics.
Good combination of punches from Ribovics. Brener steps into a punch. Low kick for him. One-two from Ribovics as Brener works a kick.
Hard exchange of punches in close here and Ribovics got the better of that. Punch from Ribovics and a slip from Brener, but he gets back up quickly.
Solid jab from Brener to try to fend off Ribovics’ aggression. Big exchange and this time it’s Brener landing the better punches.
Left hand and a body shot from Ribovics. Leg kicks from Brener. Body kick from Ribovics. Heavy knee from Ribovics, but Brener eats it.
Short flurry of punches from Ribovics. Missed superman punch from him but lands a punch behind it.
Round Two
Ribovics pressing forward but eats a jab. Ribovics with a flurry of punches to the head and body. Jabs from Brener. Body shot from Ribovics.
Ribovics stalking Brener, who feeds out the jab to try to keep him at bay. Ribovics works to the body. Knee to the body from Brener.
Jabs for Brener. Punch to the body from Ribovics. Right hook and then a left hook from Ribovics. Jab still getting through for Brener. Hard punches from Ribovics. He clips Brener with a right hook.
Right and a left for Ribovics. Constant pressure from him. He lands a leg kick. Brener slips to the mat for the second time in the fight and this time stays down. Ribovics doesn’t follow him though so he eventually has to stand.
Ribovics threatens with a high kick. Leg kick for Ribovics and punches upstairs from Brener. Jumping knee to the body from Brener.
Body punch from Ribovics. Leg kicks exchanged. Ribovics pressing forward with a flurry. Brener connects nicely. Ribovics with a solid combination late in the round.
Round Three
Both men with strikes off the guard. Nice jab from Brener. Calf kick for Ribovics. Constant action here and neither man slowing down yet.
Body kick from Ribovics. Left hand for Ribovics. Now a good right. One-two for Brener. Good left for Ribovics. More pressure from him and then a clean combo. He lands again. His punches are getting through more frequently here. Another hard three-piece combo lands.
Left hand for Ribovics. How much more can Brener take before he starts to wilt? Ribovics can’t seem to miss at the moment. Body punch for Brener. Long series of jabs from Ribovics all land. Brener with a head kick attempt.
Solid jab from Ribovics. Ribovics threatening with an uppercut, but Brener lands on the counter. Low kick from Brener as Ribovics punches. Body kick for Ribovics. High kick attempt. Big left hook from Brener. Ribovics with a combo. Elbow from Brener. Spinning back kick from Brener. Another right hand for him.
Superman punch attempt from Ribovics, a punch behind it and then a jumping kick at the final horn.
Decision
This was a great scrap then, with both men putting everything into their strikes from start to finish in a fight contested at a very high tempo. It was generally Ribovics who was pressing the action at every opportunity though and he landed some big combinations, which Brener somehow ate and managed to dish out some of his own. In the end it’s Ribovics who rightly emerges with the unanimous decision victory though (29-28, 30-27 x2).
