UFC St. Louis: Esteban Ribovics delivers wild head-kick KO to beat Terrance McKinney seconds into their fight
Esteban Ribovics wasted no time getting UFC St. Louis started Saturday night.
Ribovics, not even a minute into his bout against Terrance McKinney on the preliminary card at the Enterprise Center, delivered a wild kick that ended their fight before it could even really begin.
Only 37 seconds into their match, Ribovics stepped forward and landed a ridiculous kick to McKinney's head that sent him crashing unconscious into the side of the Octagon. Immediately, the officially called the fight and Ribovics started celebrating.
ESTEBAN RIBOVICS HEAD KICK KO IN THE OPENING SECONDS ???? #UFCStLouispic.twitter.com/eqYojEphBq
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 11, 2024
“This is what I told people,” Ribovics said about his win, via MMAfighting.com. “I tell people all the time, this is my moment, this is my time. This is what we’re here for. My plan was go for the kill. I visualized it all week. It came true and I did it.”
The win pushed Ribovics to 13-1 in his career, and it marked his third win in his last four fights. The 28-year-old out of Argentina has seven knockouts in his career, too. McKinney, on the other hand, holds just a 15-7 record and has lost four of his last seven.
The fight was was one of six bouts on the preliminary card ahead of Saturday's main card night in Missouri, which is centered around Derrick Lewis’ heavyweight matchup against Rodrigo Nascimento. Lewis has won four of his last five bouts, while Nascimento is on a three-fight win streak.
Though the main card hadn’t even started yet, Ribovics' brutal finish may end up winning the Performance of the Night.