UFC on ESPN 56 was a decision-heavy affair until [autotag]Esteban Ribovics[/autotag] showed up.
On the prelims at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Ribovics (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) knocked out [autotag]Terrance McKinney[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) with a heavy right high kick. The stoppage came 37 seconds into the first round.
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For as short as it was, the fight was wild from the opening bell. Ribovics nearly caught McKinney with a knee in a previous exchange. The kick did the trick, however, as McKinney was sent into a seated position against the fence, reminiscent of Kevin Lee’s all-time knockout of Gregor Gillespie.
HE ONLY NEEDED 35 SECONDS ‼️
Esteban Ribovics gets the early KO! #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/17Ta7sl7Qz
— UFC (@ufc) May 11, 2024
With the win, Ribovics extends his winning streak to two after a debut loss to Loik Radzhabov. On the flip side, McKinney has his two-fight winning streak snapped.
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Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 56 results include:
- Esteban Ribovics def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:37
- Tabatha Ricci def. Tecia Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Trey Waters def. Billy Goff via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.