Tag: Nasrat Haqparast

UFC’s Esteban Ribovics ‘a bit bitter’ over Nasrat Haqparast loss, sees future rematch

Esteban Ribovics opens up about his split decision loss to Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Fight Night 253 in March.

[autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag] is not too happy with how things went down in his last UFC fight, but feels he’ll get an opportunity to redeem himself in the near future.

Ribovics (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) came up short in a split decision against Nasrat Haqparast (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 253 in March. Although they won Fight of the Night and each fighter took home an extra $50,000 bonus, the Argentinian is not happy with the whole experience.

“I’m a bit bitter to have lost because losing is never good, but I know I trained hard, and I put on a show,” Ribovics told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “It could’ve gone either way. He was maybe a bit superior in the judges’ eyes, and you have to accept it. Fighting the decision and being upset at it, I’m not going to solve anything, so head held up high, and I’m going to come back stronger.”

Many online thought Ribovics did enough to get the nod from the judges. Two of the judges gave 29-28 to Haqparast (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and one a 29-28 Ribovics way, resulting in the split decision. Nine out of the 11 media members that submitted scorecards on MMA Decisions saw the fight for Ribovics.

“It was very close,” Ribovics said. “Maybe he did win. He might’ve connected with lets shots, but did more damage, so maybe that’s what the judges’ saw. I had a lot of volume, but they weren’t that strong. I just have to learn from it.”

Ribovics, 28, says everything leading up to the fight went basically well. However, he got very heavy after cut to lightweight and felt it during the fight, especially in the first round, which he lost.

“I felt good in the weight cut, but like I told you, the only thing is that I did feel heavy,” Ribovics said. “With Daniel Zelluber, I stepped in the cage at 177 pounds. For this fight, I bounced back to 185.

“I need to see what happened in the recovery and why I got so heavy. I felt strong, but very heavy. It was only in the second round where I woke up, and I was able to get moving. So that was my only issue, I felt heavy.”

Ribovics hopes to stay active and is already back in training. He hopes to return in June or July.

As far as Haqparast, Ribovics wishes him well and believes he’ll meet him again in the near future.

“I know this is not the only fight we’ll have,” Ribovics said. “We’ll meet each other again. Nasrat, I’ll see you soon, very soon.”

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Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 253

Streaking lightweights Nasrat Haqparast and Esteban Ribovics look to continue their ascent. Who has the edge at UFC Vegas 103?

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] and [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC Fight Night 253 main card at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 5-0
UFC main cards, 2025: 15-10-1

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics UFC Fight Night 253 preview

Haqparast (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) enters this contest running hot on a four-fight winning streak stretching back to 2022. On his current run, Haqparast has picked up decision wins over John Makdessi, Landon Quinones and Jared Gordon, as well as a first-round finish of Jamie Mullarkey. … Ribovics (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will look to extend his winning streak to four. Ribovics picked up a Fight of the Night award in his split decision win over Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306, which was one of the best fights of the year. Prior to that, he stopped Terrance McKinney in 37 seconds.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics UFC Fight Night 253 expert pick, prediction

Despite Ribovics turning in both Knockout of the Year and Fight of the Year candidates in 2024, the UFC matchmakers, in all their wisdom, are rewarding the Argentinian with a UFC Apex booking opposite Haqparast, who arguably lost his last fight.

Although I was initially high on Haqparast upon his initial arrival to the promotion, I haven’t been the biggest fan of how his style has progressed. In his defense, Haqparast headhunts less and goes to the body more, but I suspect that bodywork is a two-way street that’s felt more on his end (at least if his last fight with Jared Gordon is any indication).

In fact, Gordon – who trains at Kill Cliff FC alongside Ribovics – was able to find some success from southpaw that his teammate could replicate.

Perhaps my fandom for Ribovics’ style is bleeding into the analysis here, but I suspect that he can pull ahead of Haqparast after a somewhat sketchy start.

The pick is Ribovics by unanimous decision.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics UFC Fight Night 253 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the fighter from Argentina, listing Ribovics -280 and Haqparast +220 via FanDuel.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics UFC Fight Night 253 start time, how to watch

Haqparast and Ribovics are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

Nasrat Haqparast thinks he’s hit his prime 14 fights into UFC career

Nasrat Haqparast was just 22 when he made his UFC debut a little more than six years ago.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] was just 22 when he made his UFC debut a little more than six years ago.

He’s fought consistently and mostly has avoided major layoffs. Still, on paper, to see the Moroccan with more than a dozen fights in the UFC, and he’s not yet 30, it almost seems like an anomaly.

But that experience early in his career is what Haqparast (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) is counting on when he takes on Esteban Ribovics (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout on the UFC Fight Night 253 (ESPN+) main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Haqparast thinks he’s hitting his prime, and Ribovics, around a -250 betting favorite, is about to be next on a current four-fight winning streak.

“This is my 14th UFC fight – it’s a lot of experience,” Haqparast said Wednesday at a media day for the event. “I’ve stopped hyping up too much – ‘Oh, I’m going to do this,’ or do that. I’m just going to come Saturday and perform to my best, and I think it’s going to be a great fight.

“… I’m kind of a veteran – 14 UFC fights; this is. my eighth year in the UFC. – I signed when I was very young. But it excites me a lot because stylistically, this matchup is really – it’s very violent. I look forward to Saturday, and I can say the same about Esteban. I like him. He seems like a respectful person, a hard worker, he’s talented – but Saturday, we’re going to throw some bombs.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

UFC on ABC 6 winner Nasrat Haqparast ‘coming for the top 15 with violence’

Nasrat Haqparast is A-1 motivated after his hard-fought win over Jared Gordon at UFC on ABC 6.

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] is eyeing a shot at the lightweight rankings after UFC on ABC 6.

Haqparast (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) edged out Jared Gordon (20-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) by split decision in Saturday’s featured prelim at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 28-year-old extended his winning streak to four, and is ready to start facing higher-ranked opposition again. He has one name in particular that he’s interested in.

“I called out the top 15, Renato Moicano, you are next brother,” Haqparast told reporters at the UFC on ABC 6 post-fight press conference. “Let’s go. …I’m sure he’s going to try and take me down. Look what Drew Dober did with him. Maybe with 10 punches he smashed his head.

“Look what Jalin Turner did with him. Arguably he knocked him out, but it was Jalin Turner’s fault, and I think he’s going to try and take me down, just hold me on the ground. This is his game, but my game is violence and I’m coming for the top 15 now with violence.”

A frustrated Gordon is confident he did enough to win. However, Haqparast thinks he inflicted more damage.

“Honestly not (surprised),” Haqparast said on getting his hand raised. “I landed the more significant strikes, I hurt him. He had a good game plan. He tried to push me back, maybe that’s why one judge gave him the fight, but I think I did enough to win.

“I think it was a good experience. Jared Gordon is a tough guy. He has 14 fights in the UFC, he fought some of the best guys in the world. He fought Charles Oliveira, Bobby Green, Grant Dawson. Like, top 15 guys. He has the quality of a top 15 guy, and I’m entering my prime slowly.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

 

UFC on ABC 6 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ikram Aliskerov gets $4,000 in main event save

UFC on ABC 6 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ABC 6 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ABC 6 took place Saturday at Kingdom Arena. The main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ABC 6 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ikram Aliskerov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Antonio Trocoli[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Muhammad Naimov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Muin Gafurov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kyung Ho Kang[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Magomed Gadzhiyasulov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brendson Ribeiro[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]ChangHo Lee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Xiao Long[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $40,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-40 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,637,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $26,374,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 6.

Nasrat Haqparast advocates for UFC Morocco event after big knockout

If the UFC is serious about going to Africa, Nasrat Haqparast says look no further than Morocco for the continental debut.

LAS VEGAS – If the UFC is serious about going to Africa, [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] says look no further than Morocco for the continental debut.

Following his UFC Fight Night 233 knockout of Jamie Mullarkey (17-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) at the UFC Apex, Haqparast (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) didn’t call for an opponent or event date. A North African location was all that was on his mind.

“I don’t have something in my mind like a specific date,” Haqparast told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “But I really wish for the UFC to come to Morocco. Morocco is like my second home now. We have a great infrastructure. We have everything needed for the UFC (to go) there for the first UFC event in Africa. Actually, the FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world is coming to Morocco in 2030 and I think it’s the right time for the UFC to make the move to Africa.

While no UFC Africa event or even a timeline has been revealed yet, UFC CEO Dana White has long been adamant it’s in the promotion’s plans.

For Haqparast, there is no better time than the present.

“Let’s say the beginning to middle of the year in Morocco would be amazing,” Haqparast said. “Let’s say if the UFC would want to put me as a headliner, it’d be greatly appreciated. But I think it’s the right time for the UFC to come to Morocco.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 233 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $22 million

UFC Fight Night 233 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 233 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 233 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 233 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]HyunSung Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne Amanda[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2331 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,848,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,367,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas with Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.

Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.

UFC Fight Night 233 video: Nasrat Haqparast staggers Jamie Mullarkey, blitzes in for furious TKO win

Nasrat Haqparast is officially back on track after he punctuated a three-fight winning streak with a furious finish at UFC Fight Night 233.

If he wasn’t already, consider [autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] officially back on track.

Haqparast scored a highlight-reel finish against [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag] on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 233. In the first round of their lightweight bout, Haqparast (16-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) staggered Mullarkey (17-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) with a hard left Hook and then immediately blitzed in for the finish as he pelted Haqparast with short punch after short punch before landing a knockout blow at the 1:44 mark.

Check out a replay of the finish in the video belwo (via X):

Haqparasts furious finish punctuates a three-fight winning streak, which has been built as a follow-up to a back-to-back defeats vs. Bobby Green and Dan Hooker. With the loss, Mullarkey finishes the year 2-2 in four UFC appearances.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 233 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.