Athletes
Ricky Simon: Confidence Comes In Preparation
Bantamweight Looks To Get Things Back On Track Against Vinicius Oliveira At UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2
Ricky Simon is crossing things off the bucket list.
“It's actually a bucket list of mine to make it onto International Fight Week and to fight on one of these cards, and to walk out in the T-Mobile arena,” Simon said. “I'm excited.”
The 31-year-old bantamweight steps into his 13th UFC fight this weekend against Vinicius Oliveira at UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2. Simon comes into the bout looking to get things back on track after dropping back-to-back contests against Song Yadong and Mario Bautista.
UFC 303 Full Fight Card Preview
But when you’ve been in the game for as long as he has, you learn to deal with losses and comebacks differently.
“I think it's easy to stay composed with this much time in,” Simon said. “I've been a professional athlete for a decade and been fighting the UFC for a while now, since I was 25 years old. I'm ridiculously confident going into this one, even coming off a loss, because I know how things go. I've been here. I rode the wave up and down in the sport, so but my confidence comes in preparation, and I prepared really well for this one.”
Simon has only lost back-to-back fights one other time in his career, losing to Urijah Faber and Rob Font. After that, he went on to win five in a row. The last time he stepped in the Octagon was in January, earlier this year, so it’s been a few months since he has been in action, but Simon emphasized how much he is always training and working hard, even if he doesn’t have a fight coming up.
How To Watch And Stream UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2
Once the contract was signed, he locked in on his opponent and had one goal in mind.
“My mindset was ‘I just want to kill somebody,’” Simon said. “The only way to get over a loss is to get a win and I have to bash someone's head to make that happen, so I'm excited to do that on International Fight Week.”
His opponent, Oliveira, made a splash in his UFC debut, landing a flying knee that knocked out his opponent cold in the third round. Oliveira earned a contract after competing on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer, knocking his opponent out in the first round during that bout.
But in this sport, with time comes experience and Oliveira only knows competing in the APEX, with a minimal crowd. Simon is confident that the experience he is bringing to the Octagon will make the difference.
“He is an experienced fighter, but he's never made a walk out to a UFC crowd, especially like a big one, International Fight Week, so I have the experience with that on my side,” Simon said. “I'm excited to see how he deals with that, and I know I'm going to deal with it just fine.”
Simon has his own selection of exciting fights in his back pocket, earning Fight of the Night bonuses against Font and Merab Dvalishvili. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus when he submitted Jack Shore in Long Island, handing Shore his first professional loss.
On the flip side, sixteen of Oliveira’s 20 wins have come by way of knockout, so this is set to be a fun matchup to watch. And Simon agrees.
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“I don't know if I know how to be in a boring fight,” Simon said. “All my fights are fast paced and exciting. You need two to tango and he's definitely down. It's going to be an exciting fight, for sure.”
The 135-pound division is an exciting spot to be in right now, as champion Sean O’Malley sits atop the throne with lots of contenders waiting in the wings. Getting a victory over Oliveira would be a step in the right direction for Simon, as he looks to get back in the mix of the elite bantamweights.
So, what does he think everyone is going to be saying about Ricky Simon after an International Fight Week win?
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“Everyone's going to be impressed,” Simon said. “That's the Ricky we know. We know he's back on it, back in the win column and then back into the rankings, hopefully after that.”
UFC 303: Pereira vs Procházka 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 29, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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