Daniel Zellhuber wants Paddy Pimblett next after fighting Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306 [Exclusive]

Daniel Zellhuber vs Esteban Ribovics is set to take place at UFC 306

Daniel Zellhuber is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist who has been actively fighting since 2016. The Golden Boy is currently fighting in the lightweight division of UFC. Zellhuber has a professional record of 15 wins, and 1 loss in his 16 fights and has become one of the fastest-rising stars of the company.

He is all set to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306: O’Malley vs Dvalishvili on September 14, 2024, at the Sphere in Paradise, Nevada. Ahead of the event, Daniel Zellhuber sat down for an exclusive interview with Khel Now and discussed many topics. Here is everything that UFC lightweight star Daniel Zellhuber discussed with us in the exclusive interview.

Daniel Zellhuber’s excitement for UFC 306

“I’m excited. I feel that having the UFC. Putting the eyes on the Mexican crowd is something that’s always going to fill me with pride and you know, I’m honored to be in the main card. I know I’m honored to be part of the Mexican heritage that is fighting in the sphere and I’m ready to put on a show. So I’m pretty much proud and happy for being here.”

How did Zellhuber enter MMA?

“When I was a kid, I was bullied in elementary school. It was a very hard time in my life. But that makes me the man that I’m today and that helps me develop the skills that I have today. So, you know, looking back to the past, I feel grateful for the things that I need to go through because that’s why I’m here. So yeah, but that’s what gets me into MMA.”

Cracking the Dana White contender series

“Well, that was one of the hardest fights in my life, the contender series fight, because you are not only fighting with the other guy, you are also fighting to get a contract. So you need to do things fast. You need to be more aggressive. You need to be flashy in order to get the contract.

So I can say that was one of the hardest fights in my life, but at the end of the day, I’m happy that I got the contract and look, now I’m here fighting in an event that it’s only going to happen one more, one time in this lifetime. So I’m happy about that.”

Daniel Zellhuber is ready for the fight

“You know, Esteban is a very good fighter. But I feel that I do my job, you know, I study him, I watch hours and hours of tape and I know that I’m ready to fight him. It just matters if he’s ready to fight against me, you know.”

Also Read: UFC 306 Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili: Fight card, date, time, telecast, live streaming info & more

Daniel Zellhuber on what to expect in his upcoming fight

“Oh, as I’ve been saying the whole week. I’m confident in the skills that I developed for this fight. I’m confident in the skills that I developed in other fight camps. So you guys can always expect the best version of Daniel Zellhuber and fireworks. You know, my opponent likes to stand and strike. I like to stand and strike so people can expect the best of the best in the striking in the MMA scene. Yeah, looking forward to that.”

Daniel Zellhuber’s ultimate career goal

“I feel that it’s the ability that I have to communicate things. I feel that I’m a good fighter, but I’m also a good person and I’m always trying to improve in both areas. You know, speaking English, of course, is something that helps me a lot because that’s why I’m here with you guys. So of course, it’s because of you guys too, you know, I feel that again, I’m, I feel that I’m not a rising star and I appreciate you saying that. But, I feel that all that it’s because at the end of the day, because of you, because you give me the lights to shine and you are giving me the opportunities to be here talking with you.”

Zellhuber on whether the match against Esteban Ribovics be a first-round finish

“Yeah, of course. Again, I never like to say the round, but definitely, you can expect a finish in this fight. I trained with that in the back of my head for the whole fight camp. And again, I feel confident. I feel confident about that.”

Daniel Zellhuber’s dream opponent

“Oh, I would love to fight Paddy Pimblett. I know that the UFC is hiding and protecting him. But after this win, after I defeated Esteban this Saturday night, I know that eventually he would need to fight me or somebody else good at least, you know. So yeah, he would be my dream opponent right now.”

Zellhuber predicts Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili

“I feel that Sean is going to win the fight. I like O’Malley, I like Merab, but I feel that he exposed himself a lot and I feel that O’Malley eventually is going to fight him out. But again, I can be wrong. It’s a very close fight because I know the pace that Merab puts in every round. And I don’t know, I never saw Sean dealing with something like that. So I feel that’s going to be a little bit complicated for him. But at the end of the day, I don’t know why. I feel O’Malley is going to win the fight.”

Message to Esteban Ribovics

“No, not really. I wish him all the best. I know that he prepares pretty hard because he’s an immigrant like me here. So I know all the things that he goes through to be here and trying to complete his dreams. But unfortunately, he needs to face me on September 14 and I’m not gonna let that happen.”

The Golden Boy’s message to Indian fans

“Hey, I want to say thank you to all the people in India. It’s crazy that people around there in that part of the world are watching my fights. I appreciate every one of you guys and I’m looking forward to going to India sometime. It would be really funny. So I appreciate you guys and I appreciate your time.”

Watch UFC 306  – Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili on 15th September 2024 at 7:30 AM IST LIVE On Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu)

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