Athletes
Things Are Coming Together For Ricky Simon
Tenth-Ranked Bantamweight, Ricky Simon, Is Ready For The Next Chapter In His Life As A New Dad
As a professional prizefighter rapidly rising up the bantamweight ladder, Ricky Simon probably wanted to be back in the Octagon as soon as he left Long Island after his Performance of the Night submission of Jack Shore last July.
Ricky Simon Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon
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Ricky Simon Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon
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But sometimes there are more pressing matters to deal with, and as Simon and his wife, Jade, bought a house and welcomed a daughter into the world, it was clear that the march to the title had to wait for a little bit.
“There’s a new meaning,” said Simon of this new chapter in his life. “There’s someone else, besides me. I've lived a selfish life as a professional fighter for the first 30 years, but now, it definitely gives a different purpose and that's nice.”
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Husband. Dad. The 10th-ranked bantamweight in the UFC with a five-fight winning streak. And a first-time Octagon headliner this Saturday against Song Yadong. If you wanted a perfect storm for the life of Mr. Simon, this is it.
“It really does feel like everything's coming together,” he said. “But it doesn't seem too far off from what I've been doing my entire career: good winning streaks, big fights, and I have another moment to finally shine. I had a co-main event in 2019 (against Urijah Faber) and I built my way back up and now I have a main event and I don't want to stop here this time.”
In so many ways, Simon isn’t the same fighter he was when he was stopped by the UFC Hall of Famer. The Pacific Northwest standout lost a Fight of the Night scrap to Rob Font in his next bout, but since then, it’s been all Ws, with his five-fight win streak including three finishes and back-to-back victories over Raphael Assuncao and the previously unbeaten Shore. In other words, in a stacked weight class, Simon is as close to an unstoppable train as there is at 135 pounds. Well, outside of Merab Dvalishvili, who owns a nine-fight winning streak. But then again, the last man to beat “The Machine” was Simon, who submitted the Georgian in a 2018 Fight of the Night.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon
“That was a great fight,” said Simon. “I don't hear too many people still talking about it, but it was Fight of the Night, so other people must've agreed with me. You don't get 50 grand for me liking it.”
No, you don’t. But what that fight did, in addition to putting some bonus money in his bank account, was mark him as a fighter to watch at bantamweight. Unfortunately, it’s taken a little while longer for him to get the rest of the MMA world on board, but he’s stayed patient, kept working and evolving, and let his fighting do the talking.
“I'm looking at my body of work, my life's work at this point, and how much I've put into it and I'm like, what can I do better?” Simon said. “But I feel like I'm still constantly being slept on, so I don't know. I don't what that's about. But my thought process has always been if I keep doing the right things and I keep making it happen, then it's going to come and I'm just kind of going to stick with that because it's just who I am.”
Ricky Simon Submits Jack Shore With Arm Triangle | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Ricky Simon Submits Jack Shore With Arm Triangle | UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs Rodriguez
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It's working for him, even if it’s been the long haul and not the quick fix. And he’s learned to deal with it. As for being in the underdog role the last time out, that one still irks him a bit.
“The times I was a very heavy favorite, I lost those fights, so I never really look into that, either way,” Simon said. “This last fight (against Shore), it was a little annoying. It was the one time I was like, ‘I'm the dog, really?’ I feel like that was the only time that really did bug me. And maybe I had a little chip on my shoulder going into that one. But I usually don't pay too much attention to that. I just make sure I have a good game plan and I'm training my ass off.”
RELATED: Song Yadong Knows His Best Has Yet To Come
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As for all the motivations and romantic notions we attach to it, Simon isn’t buying into it. This is a fight, and that’s all the motivation he needs.
“You know what?” Simon said. “You get locked in a cage, it feels like your back's against the wall a little bit. So I don't have to tap into anything and I don't have to think a certain way. You tell me this person wants to hurt me and lock me in a small area with him? We're going to figure it out.”
UFC Fight Night: Song vs Simon took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on April 29, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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