The UFC has scheduled UFC 330 to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 15. The promotion has booked an intriguing fight in the lightweight division. The Brazilian veteran Edson Barboza takes on Argentine Esteban Ribovics.
Multiple sources have confirmed the fight to Heavy.com after an initial report by Brazilian website AG Fight. The fight is booked for three five-minute rounds at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Veteran Barboza Looks To Break His Bad Streak
Edson Barboza returns for the first time since his loss in December last year against Jalin Turner. The 40-year-old Brazilian has been a mainstay in the UFC for years. With his amazing Muay Thai skills and devastating knockout power, he is one of the most violent finishers in the UFC. Barboza made his debut for the UFC almost sixteen years ago. The fan favorite never made it to a title fight but beat many top fighters in the division. Barboza has many highlight-reel knockouts on his resume, with the most famous being his spinning wheel kick against Terry Etim.
Between 2020 and 2023, Barboza tried to make a run for the title in the featherweight division. He booked a couple of solid wins against Shane Burgos and Sodiq Yusuff, but after losing to, now one of the top contenders, Lerone Murphy, the Brazilian fighter returned to lightweight. Last year, Barboza lost against Drakkar Klose and Jalin Turner. The Brazilian is in desperate need of a win to not lose for the fourth time in a row. He takes on the ten-year-younger Esteban Ribovics.
Esteban Ribovics Wants New Top 15 Opportunity
While Barboza is one of the most exciting fighters in the division, the same can be said for his opponent, Esteban Ribovics. The Argentine fighter entered Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 as an undefeated prospect with a 100% finish rate. Ribovics made quick work of Thomas Paull, securing a first-round knockout to earn his UFC contract. In 2023, Ribovics made his highly-touted debut in the UFC against Loik Radzhabov. The Argentine fighter lost after an amazing fight by unanimous decision. Ribovics closed the year with his first UFC win, defeating Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision. Ribovics’ true finishing power was on full display in 2024 when he knocked out Terrance McKinney with a violent first-round head kick.
After following that up with a victory over Daniel Zellhuber at Noche UFC, in what became one of the best fights of the year, Ribovics completely recaptured his hype. In 2025, Ribovics opened the year on the wrong side of a controversial split decision against Nasrat Haqparast, a war that earned both men ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. Just five months later, he returned to the win column against Elves Brener, taking home his third straight ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. The UFC had enough reason to give the Argentine fighter a shot at the rankings against Mateusz Gamrot. Unfortunately for Ribovics, Gamrot was a level above him on the ground and won via a second-round arm-triangle choke submission. Ribovics will look to get back in the win column against Barboza.
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