# Esteban Ribovics dreams of becoming MMA’s Messi in Argentina 2026-08-15T09:47:21+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Argentine UFC fighter Esteban Ribovics will face veteran Edson Barboza in a lightweight bout at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, Times Now reports. The fight is on a card headlined by Islam Makhachev versus Ian Machado Garry. Ribovics, known as El Gringo, said Lionel Messi is his sporting inspiration and that he wants his own name to become synonymous with mixed martial arts in Argentina. “When you say Ribovics, they say, Oh MMA,” Ribovics told Times Now in an exclusive interview. Asked whether he wanted to become the Messi of UFC, he replied, “Yes, this is my dream.” His ambition extends beyond one fight or even his UFC career, with Messi’s influence shaping his vision of a lasting national legacy. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Edson Barboza, Esteban Ribovics, Lionel Messi, Philadelphia, UFC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/esteban-ribovics-dreams-of-becoming-mmas-messi-in-argentina/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/esteban-ribovics-dreams-of-becoming-mmas-messi-in-argentina/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/