Ricky Simon has captured the more tuned-in fan’s attention since his debut in the UFC in just over five years ago. He had gained fandom before this, as he won a split decision match on Dana White’s Contender Series and picked up two wins in the LFA prior to signing with the sport’s premier organization. Simon now sports an impressive debut-finish over now no.1 contender Merab Dvalishvili, only two losses against top competition, and a five fight win streak. With his general level of notoriety, the mention (or lack thereof) of his name in the discussion of the division, and actual UFC ranking leading up to this weekend, I believe Ricky Simon is the dark horse of the bantamweight division, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for him in his fight against Song Yadong.
Let’s look at why he’s one of the most overlooked ranked fighters in the division, and what he brings to the table this weekend:
Back-to-Back Losses
Consecutive losses can entirely derail a budding prospect’s hype, regardless of the opponent. Simon’s two UFC losses came back-to-back in July and September of 2019, to Urijah Faber and Rob Font. The Faber fight served as a return for The California Kid, who found himself a favorable stylistic matchup on the feet against Simon, who was notoriously susceptible to right hooks and overhands. The controversy around the stoppage dissipated quickly after the fight (as do robberies, fouls, etc.) and the stoppage loss remained on his record.
This fight was followed by Simon’s decision loss to Rob Font, a tough test for anyone prone to leaving their chin open and failing to negate his offense. With two red names sitting on top of each other on Simon’s record, he found himself out of favorable and highlighting matchmaking for the foreseeable future – an unfortunate step back that many fighters, even champions, have faced.
Matchmaking
The UFC’s 135lb fighters operate under the mercy of Sean Shelby, the UFC’s matchmaker responsible for roughly half of the promotion’s matchmaking. Shelby has a tough job – navigating the division’s winners and losers following their matches, giving pushes to special talents deserving of the spotlight, as well as grappling with fighter’s turnaround/injury timelines; there are a myriad of factors that go into creating the UFC’s product in one of the deepest division’s in the sport.
Ricky Simon has found himself in a cyclical dilemma, up until his most recent win: beating a relatively unknown/lower caliber opponent on an undercard/prelims, not being allowed access to enough clout/capital to find himself in a brighter spotlight, rinse, and repeat. Breaking out of this, Simon most recently finished (arm triangle, rd 2) previously undefeated prospect Jack Shore in an riveting bout. This win is what allowed Simon to find himself booked against Song Yadong this weekend, but the initial matchmaking between Simon and Shore was an indicator of Simon’s status in the division, as it was meant to serve as a showcase for Jack Shore. With his booking against Yadong, Ricky Simon has now found himself on the cusp of being grouped in with the elites of the division. A win over Yadong would push him into the top eight, with access to matchups against the elites.
Fight Schedule
Ricky Simon’s fight schedule (due to matchmaking injuries, and cancellations) has also had a negative impact on his status in the division. Following his two UFC losses, Simon picked up a win over Ray Borg in his comeback fight. He was quickly booked against Brian Kelleher next, a fight that fell through twice, resulting in an eight month layoff before his next fight, and win, against Gaetano Pirrello. Taking agency over his trajectory, Simon then went on to take a short notice fight against Brian Kelleher, increasing his stock with the UFC, greatly. The promotion rewarded him with a step up against Raphael Assunção, followed by the highlighted matchup against Shore (which, regardless of the intent, put Simon on the larger stage).
This Weekend
Ricky Simon has a chance to reinstate his name into the list of formidable bantamweight contenders this weekend, as a win would bring his win streak to six and reaffirm his value within the division. Simon has proved himself dangerous from anywhere during these last five, with two arm triangle chokes and a tko finish. While there’s no lack of talent in the top of the bantamweight division, Simon shuffling up the rankings could provide a fresh challenge for potential opponents, such as Dominick Cruz, Marlon Vera, Petr Yan, or a revenge match against Rob Font. Regardless of what’s next, the importance of a win for Ricky Simon this weekend cannot be overstated.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
