LAS VEGAS – Ricky Simon is about to headline a UFC event for the first time, but there’s no reason to make a big deal about it. At least that’s the way he sees it.
Simon, who’s No. 10 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, meets No. 8 Song Yadong in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 223 main event at the UFC Apex. It’s taken five years for Simon to headline on the biggest stage, which came about only two weeks ago after Renato Moicano pulled out of the original headliner with Arman Tsarukyan, but none of that matters to him.
“It feels right,” Simon told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC Fight Night 223 media day. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
Simon made his UFC debut in April 2018 and won his first three promotional bouts, including a submission of current top 135-pound contender Merab Dvalishvili in his first fight. Simon then lost back-to-back bouts against now-Hall of Famer Urijah Faber and Rob Font, but he’s back on track with a five-fight winning streak heading into Saturday’s headliner.
Simon’s most recent bout was last July, a second-round submission of Jack Shore at UFC on ABC 3. Simon wishes he’d fought sooner than the nine months that have passed, but it actually worked out for the best as he and his wife had their first baby during his time off.
Still, he admits he was a little frustrated that it was hard to find the right matchup.
“Maybe in the back of my head a little bit, but I also know I’m ranked now, and I want to move forward,” Simon said. “It’s kind of hard to get those guys (ranked above me) to agree to the fights. Everybody always wants to fight forward.”
Simon (20-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) gets his wish of fighting forward when he meets Yadong (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), who most recently had a three-fight winning streak snapped in a TKO doctor stoppage loss to Cory Sandhagen last September in the UFC Fight Night 210 headliner.
Simon thinks highly of Yadong and isn’t fazed by the challenge in front of him.
“He’s a great fighter, explosive fighter, but I don’t think he mixes it up as well as I do,” Simon said. “I don’t think anyone in the bantamweight division mixes it up as well as I do. So I have plenty of confidence going into this one.”
While he doesn’t lack confidence, Simon is wary of looking ahead.
“I haven’t put too much thought on who’s next, because I’m honed in right now,” Simon said. “I’m focused on beating up Song.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.