Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics at UFC Fight Night 253 | Preview & Prediction
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The UFC matchmakers have pulled together a beauty in the lightweight division as Nasrat Haqparast and Esteban Ribovics meet in what should be a really tough battle between the two
Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 253? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 1st March 2025, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT
Where is UFC Fight Night 253? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 253? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 253
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 253 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 253? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 253 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Nasrat Haqparast and Esteban Ribovics expected to walk out? 1:15am UK / Saturday 1st March, 8:15pm US ET / 5:15pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 253 Main Card
Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev (Flyweight)
Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez (Middleweight)
Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto (Heavyweight)
Hyder Amil vs William Gomis (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 253 Prelims
Danny Barlow vs Sam Patterson (Welterweight)
Ricardo Ramos vs Chepe Mariscal (Featherweight)
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs John Castaneda (Bantamweight)
Andrea Lee vs JJ Aldrich (Women’s Flyweight)
Danny Silva vs Lucas Almeida (Featherweight)
Montana De La Rosa vs Luana Carolina (Women’s Flyweight)
Charles Johnson vs Ramazan Temirov (Flyweight)
Nasrat Haqparast: Afghan star looking to win fifth in a row
Nasrat Haqparast (17-5) is making waves in this lightweight division and he will look to win his fifth successive fight in the Octagon. After back-to-back losses over Dan Hooker and Bobby Green, Haqparast has gone on a tear winning four bouts in a row with his last win in June being a split decision victory over Jared Gordon.
Esteban Ribovics: El Gringo aiming to continue rise up the rankings
Esteban Ribovics (14-1) is settling into life in the UFC nicely as after losing on his promotion debut at UFC 285 to Loik Radzhabov, he has bounced back to win three fights in a row. His last win was a split decision victory at UFC 306 in September over Daniel Zellhuber and that came after a head kick knockout win over Terrance McKinney. Those wins over quality opponents will give him confidence and there is still more to come from the Argentine lightweight.
Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics Prediction
The UFC matchmakers have nailed it with this bout in the lightweight division as there is very little to choose between Nasrat Haqparast and Esteban Ribovics.
There is so much to like about both of these fighters and you get the sense that this fight will not define either fighter. They both have improvements to make but they do look capable of developing further.
A win for either will help catapult them in a stacked division.
We are leaning towards Ribovics in this one but without any major confidence. The quality of opponent he has faced in his last couple of bouts is strong and he has multiple routes to victory.
For Haqparast, we fear his knockout power is not overly transitioning to the higher levels and he is going to have to grind out the win on the scorecards if he is to get the W in this one. For those reasons, we favour the Argentine narrowly.
Prediction: Esteban Ribovics to win
