Ricky Simon
Key Stats: 33 takedowns landed (2nd all-time among BW), 47.8% takedown accuracy (tied 3rd), 32.8% control time (6th)
What It Means: Simon is an exhausting wrestler whose physical strength makes him a daunting problem for opponents to solve. He really embraces the wrestling-grind in the Octagon, and his tricks long the fence make opponents pay for spending the energy to get to their feet. In the stand up, Simon has solid power and is probably at his best when mixing strikes into another grappling exchange and looking for the submission.
Brian Kelleher
Key Stats: 7:17 average fight time (6th shortest all-time among BW), 0.88 submissions per 15 minutes (9th), 72% takedown defense
What It Means: “Boom” lives up to his nickname, wielding big-time power in his punches. He also has one of the best and tightest guillotine squeezes in the game, and he hops into it with real quickness if a foe isn’t minding their p’s and q’s. He is always looking for a finish with every strike thrown, and no matter how the fight is moving, he can shift it with one punch.
What to Look For in the Fight: Given Simon’s general game plan of shooting as many takedowns as possible, it’ll be interesting to see if Kelleher can jump into a deep guillotine as we’ve seen him do before. On the feet, the two might be even in terms of speed, but Kelleher has a knack for finding the knockout punch. Simon, however, has shown a good gas tank and ability to wear down his opponents rather quickly.
*Hasn’t competed in weightclass enough to qualify in Record Book