Ribovics sleeps in altitude chamber and arrives 10 days early to prepare for King Green at UFC 332

Esteban Ribovics has taken a meticulous approach to altitude preparation ahead of his lightweight clash with King Green at UFC 332 on October 3 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Argentine, who carries a 16-3 record, spent several weeks sleeping in a chamber designed to simulate low-oxygen conditions and arrived in Utah 10 days before fight night to acclimatise in person.

“When I found out that it was getting the fight, I actually slept for a couple of weeks in a hyperbaric chamber,” Ribovics said in a pre-fight interview. “I’m not sure if that’s the name they use for it, but basically it simulates not having as much oxygen. I did really well with that, and also, I came in 10 days before just to be acclimated to it, and so far, so good. I actually ran in the mountains, so I’m feeling good.”

Salt Lake City sits at roughly 1,300 metres above sea level, and the elevated altitude is a well-documented factor for fighters unaccustomed to competing there. Ribovics clearly identified it as a variable worth eliminating well in advance.

The 16-3 fighter enters the bout in form, having defeated Edson Barboza in his most recent outing to bounce back from a submission loss to Mateusz Gamrot. He now faces King Green (36-17-1), a durable and aggressive striker, and Ribovics is openly targeting a performance bonus from the matchup.

“I’m made for the bonus, I work for the bonus, I train for the bonus,” he said. “And also, I think that King Green proposes a fight, like he comes in and is going to allow me to have a performance like that and I’m sure that I’m going to go get the bonus — that’s what I am.”

The fight figures to be one of the more entertaining bouts on the UFC 332 card, with both men carrying reputations as willing strikers who rarely produce dull nights.