Ribovics clarifies post-fight outburst after TKO of Green at UFC 332 was aimed at boxer Barboza

Esteban Ribovics knocked King Green down three times before finishing him by first-round TKO in a catchweight bout at UFC 332 on Saturday in Salt Lake City — but the verbal fireworks that followed the stoppage were not aimed at his defeated opponent.

As referee Herb Dean waved off the contest, Ribovics shouted in Green’s direction, prompting speculation about the nature of the outburst. The two fighters subsequently embraced and exchanged mutual respect, and Ribovics later explained the apparent contradiction at the post-fight press conference.

“He talked a little sh*t, but it’s his game,” Ribovics said. “I knew he was gonna do that. I prepared for that. My partner did the same in training. I came ready for that… I said to him, ‘Keep talking.’ It was for the day before. But it’s not Bobby. It’s the boxer guy.”

The “boxer guy” in question is Arnold Barboza Jr., a professional boxer and friend of Green’s, with whom Ribovics had an altercation outside the fighter hotel the day before the event. The words “Keep talking” were also a nod to Green’s well-known habit of talking to opponents during bouts — something Ribovics specifically prepared for by having a training partner replicate it in sparring.

Tension between the two camps had already been running high before the fight after Ribovics missed weight, causing friction that spilled over in the lead-up to the bout. Despite that backdrop, the fighters themselves parted on good terms once the cage door opened and the action was settled.