Daniel Cormier was not swayed by big-star names when making his pick for Fight of the Year.
Like many, Dominick Cruz went with Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, which saw Holloway score an iconic last-second knockout. Chael Sonnen picked middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis’ submission win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.
However, Cormier went with Esteban Ribovics’ wild battle with Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 from Sphere, a brawl that saw numerous momentum swings. Ribovics wound up winning the bout by split decision.
“I’m not falling victim to the name,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “As pundits, as fans, and as people who watch the sport, at times, we fall in love with the name. It’s honestly why you’ll fight in a pay-per-view, and you’ll get a Fight of the Night bonus or Performance when you really don’t deserve it. You’re in the main event, you’re making more money than everybody else on the card, and you win, but there’s all those fights in the beginning that are better. So, I’m not falling victim to the name.
“I’m actually going with the fight between Zellhuber and Ribovics at UFC 306 when those guys fought at the Sphere. Remember how bad Daniel Zellhuber had him hurt early? Remember how bad he (Ribovics) had Daniel Zellhuber hurt late? The grit, the determination that these two young men showed on Mexican Independence Day to show why they were put on that Sphere card. It was all stand up, barely any wrestling, it was tit for tat. It was as good of a fight as any we saw all year. I’m not falling victim to the blockbuster.”
Ribovics has recently been booked for his next fight. He takes on Nasrat Haqparast in a lightweight bout on March 1 at UFC Fight Night 253 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
