Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon

After picking up a third consecutive UFC victory in the early part of 2019, Simon dropped back-to-back contests to a returning Urijah Faber and perennial contender Rob Font. Since then, the bantamweight from the Pacific Northwest has not missed a beat.

The 30-year-old Simon enters Saturday’s co-main event pairing with Song Yadong on a five-fight winning streak, having earned three of those victories by stoppage, including handing Jack Shore the first loss of his career last time out.

A regional standout touted as a future contender during his early prospect days, Simon earned a split decision win over Donavon Frelow on Episode 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) but didn’t get a contract. He returned to the regional scene, won and successfully defended the LFA bantamweight crown, and then got the call to compete on the biggest stage in the sport a month later, debuting with a submission win over current top-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili at the buzzer.

Order UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo Today! 

Simon is one of those competitors that has always been very good, but he has taken things to an entirely different level as of late. Following the split decision win over Ray Borg that started his current run of success, he made a commitment to pursuing more finishes and being more aggressive, and it has resulted in an additional four victories and three stoppages.

This weekend’s main event pairing with Song is another step up in competition for the Fabiano Scherner-trained fighter — a date against a 25-year-old Top 10 staple coming off a loss to Cory Sandhagen in a competitive main event clash last September — and a chance for Simon to truly establish himself as a threat in the ultra-talented 135-pound ranks.

Getting into the title conversation at bantamweight is a daunting task, even once you’re stationed inside the Top 10, but a sixth straight win and a victory over Song would certainly help Simon’s case going forward.

Michal Oleksiejczuk

Oleksiejczuk went 4-2 with one no contest in his first seven UFC appearances, all of which took place at light heavyweight. He flashed dynamic boxing and a propensity for mixing in punishing body work, but also seemed a little undersized and under-developed at the time. Following a unanimous decision loss to ranked light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby at UFC 272, the Polish fighter opted to relocate to the middleweight division, where the size and strength difference between he and his opponents wouldn’t be as vast.

Through his first two starts in the 185-pound ranks, the 28-year-old has proven himself to be an intriguing addition to the division. Oleksiejczuk dispatched Sam Alvey in the first round of his middleweight debut, and then followed it up with a similar effort against Cody Brundage on the final card of 2022 to push his record to 18-5 with the aforementioned no contest.

Quinlan’s arrival in the UFC following a blistering effort on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series was delayed after the undefeated welterweight tested positive for a banned substance in his post-fight screening. The result was overturned, Quinlan was suspended, and the Hawaiian finisher took to Instagram to take full accountability for his actions.

Last summer, the 30-year-old finally made the walk for the first time, stepping in against veteran Jason Witt in mid-August. He was ready to walk back out of the Octagon just over two minutes later, having planted a left hook on Witt’s jaw that abruptly ended the contest.