Ricky Simón

Ricky Simón (born August 31, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he was a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Bantamweight Champion. As of October 17, 2023, he is #13 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.[6]

Ricky Simón
Born (1992-08-31) August 31, 1992
Pendleton, Oregon, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight136 lb (62 kg; 9 st 10 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach69 in (175 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofVancouver, Washington, U.S.
TeamGracie Barra Portland[2]
American Top Team Portland
Team Oyama (2020–present)[3]
Syndicate MMA[2]
TrainerIan Loveland and Fabiano Scherner[4]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Fabiano Scherner[5]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins20
By knockout6
By submission4
By decision10
Losses4
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision1
Websitehttps://rickysimonufc.com/linktr.ee/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Simón was born in Pendleton, Oregon. Coming from a tight-knit family of Mexican immigrants, his three brothers, Carlos Simón, Brandon Simón, Avi Simón and Ricky have the same tattoo "Simón" inked across their upper back. Simón also grew up with his close second cousin and fellow UFC athlete Vince Morales.[7] Simón started training in wrestling at nine years old. He graduated class of 2010 from Union High School in Camas, WA, where he also wrestled and placed seventh in the state in his sophomore year. After his post-graduation plans to be a collegiate wrestler for Clark College did not materialize, he transitioned to mixed martial arts.[8]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Simón amassed an amateur record of 3–0 before turning professional in 2014. After compiling a professional record of 12–1, fighting for Main Event Sports, King of the Cage (KOTC), Titan Fighting Championship and he was the formal Legacy Fighting Alliance Bantamweight Champion[9][10] prior joining the UFC.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his UFC debut, Simón faced Merab Dvalishvili on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[12] In the final round, Simón mounted Dvalshvili with a guillotine choke, while Dvalishvili kicked his way to the end of the bell. Referee, Liam Kerriga, awarded the win to Simón citing Dvalshivili was thought to have been passed out by the ref who eventually stopped the fight.[13] Dvalishvilli's manager Matthew Culley filed a request to the commission to review the referee decision and the appeal was denied.[14] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[15]

Simón was scheduled to face Benito Lopez at UFC 227 on August 4, 2018.[16] However, it was reported that Lopez pulled out from the bout for undisclosed reason and was replaced by Montel Jackson.[17] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Simón was expected to face Ricardo Ramos on November 10, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 139.[19] However, it was reported on October 16, 2018, that Ramos was pulled from the bout due to a hand injury[20] and in turn, Simón was removed from the card as well.[21][22]

Simón faced Rani Yahya on February 10, 2019, at UFC 234.[23] He won the fight via unanimous decision, knocking Yahya down multiple times in the first round.[24]

Simón faced Urijah Faber on July 13, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 155.[25] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[26]

Simón faced Rob Font at UFC on ESPN 7 on December 7, 2019.[27] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[28] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[29]

As the first fight of his new, four-fight contract, Simón faced Ray Borg on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira.[30][3] He won the fight via split decision.[31]

Simón was scheduled to face Brian Kelleher in a featherweight bout on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 176.[32] However, Simón's cornerman tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to withdraw from the event.[33] The pair was rescheduled on January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC 1.[34] In turn, Kelleher also tested positive on January 1 and was pulled from the bout.[35] He was replaced by newcomer Gaetano Pirrello and the bout took place four days later at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny.[36] He won the bout via second round arm triangle submission.[37]

The bout between Simón and Brian Kelleher was rebooked for the third time and took place at UFC 258 on February 13, 2021.[38] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[39]

Simón was scheduled to face Timur Valiev on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266.[40] However, the bout was never officially announced by the promotion and Valiev was instead scheduled to face Daniel Santos at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate.[41][42]

As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Simón faced Raphael Assunção on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus.[43][44] Simón won the fight via knockout in the second round.[45]

Simón faced Jack Shore on July 16, 2022 at UFC on ABC 3.[46] He won the fight via arm-triangle submission in the second round.[47] This win earned Simón his first Performance of the Night bonus award.[48]

Simón was scheduled to face Song Yadong on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222.[49] However, the bout was instead delayed a week to UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón.[50] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the fifth round.[51]

Simón is scheduled to face Mario Bautista on January 13, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235.[52]

Personal life

Simón used to be a middle school wrestling coach.[4] He is the cousin of fellow UFC bantamweight fighter Vince Morales.[53]

Simón has a daughter, born in November 2022.[2]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
24 matches 20 wins 4 losses
By knockout 6 2
By submission 4 1
By decision 10 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 20–4 Song Yadong TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón April 29, 2023 5 1:10 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 20–3 Jack Shore Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez July 16, 2022 2 3:28 Elmont, New York, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 19–3 Raphael Assunção KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus December 18, 2021 2 2:14 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 18–3 Brian Kelleher Decision (unanimous) UFC 258 February 13, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Featherweight bout.
Win 17–3 Gaetano Pirrello Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny January 20, 2021 2 4:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 16–3 Ray Borg Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira May 13, 2020 3 5:00 Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Loss 15–3 Rob Font Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik December 7, 2019 3 5:00 Washington, D.C., United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 15–2 Urijah Faber TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd July 13, 2019 1 0:46 Sacramento, California, United States
Win 15–1 Rani Yahya Decision (unanimous) UFC 234 February 10, 2019 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 14–1 Montel Jackson Decision (unanimous) UFC 227 August 4, 2018 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win 13–1 Merab Dvalishvili Technical Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee April 21, 2018 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 12–1 Vinicius Zani KO (punches) LFA 36 March 23, 2018 1 0:59 Cabazon, California, United States Defended the LFA Bantamweight Championship.
Win 11–1 Chico Camus Decision (unanimous) LFA 29 December 15, 2017 5 5:00 Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States Won the vacant LFA Bantamweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Donavon Frelow Decision (split) Dana White's Contender Series 5 August 8, 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Bantamweight.
Win 9–1 Charon Spain Submission (arm-triangle choke) KOTC: Headstrong May 27, 2017 1 1:59 Lincoln City, Oregon, United States
Win 8–1 Eduardo Torres Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Heavy Trauma February 4, 2017 3 5:00 Lincoln City, Oregon, United States Return to Featherweight.
Loss 7–1 Anderson dos Santos Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Titan FC 37 March 4, 2016 2 2:38 Ridgefield, Washington, United States For the vacant Titan FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Alex Soto Decision (unanimous) Titan FC 35 September 19, 2015 3 5:00 Ridgefield, Washington, United States
Win 6–0 Jeremiah Labiano Decision (split) TPF 24 August 6, 2015 3 5:00 Lemoore, California, United States
Win 5–0 Paul Njoku Decision (unanimous) KOTC; Warrior's Spirit March 21, 2015 3 5:00 Lincoln City, Oregon, United States Bantamweight debut.
Win 4–0 Cole Milani TKO (punches) FCFF: Rumble at the Roseland 80 November 19, 2014 1 0:55 Portland, Oregon, United States Lightweight bout.
Win 3–0 John Martinez TKO (punches) Main Event MMA 3 August 16, 2014 1 3:41 Longview, Washington, United States Featherweight bout.
Win 2–0 Kendall Ward TKO (punches) Main Event MMA 2 April 19, 2014 1 0:49 Vancouver, Washington, United States
Win 1–0 Alex Eastman TKO (punches) Main Event MMA 1 January 18, 2014 1 1:34 Vancouver, Washington, United States

[54]

See also

References
  1. "Ricky Simon | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  2. E. Spencer Kyte (December 27, 2022). "Ricky Simon Wants To Keep Climbing The Ladder". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  3. "Ricky Simon reveals he signed new 4-fight deal ahead of UFC Jacksonville win over Ray Borg". mmafighting.com. May 14, 2020.
  4. "Ricky Simon: A MMA Champion On the Rise". Receptra. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  5. Ricky Simón [@rickysimonufc] (December 29, 2021). "A Fabiano Scherner Black Belt, what an honor. A moment I've dreamed about for years. I feel like I'm just getting started. Only one more belt to bring home, a gold one" – via Instagram.
  6. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  7. Nolan King (July 10, 2019). "Family first, fighters second: Cousins Vince Morales, Ricky Simon live out dream at UFC Sacramento". mmajunkie.com.
  8. "Vancouver's Ricky Simón gets his next big shot in UFC". The Columbian. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  9. "LFA 29 Results & Fight Highlights: Closing Out the Year with a Bang!". MMAWeekly.com. 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  10. "LFA 36 Results & Highlights: Ricky Simon Defends the Belt with First-Round KO". MMAWeekly.com. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  11. Sherdog.com. "Ricky Simon MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  12. "LI's Dvalishvili healthy, aiming for first UFC win in AC". Newsday. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  13. Erickson, Matt (April 21, 2018). "Fighter Ricky Simon wins by Technical Submisson after final bell at UFC Fight Night 128". usatoday.com. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  14. Simon, Zane (2018-04-28). "New Jersey Athletic Commission denies Dvalishvili appeal, cites Goddard and McCarthy". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  15. "UFC Fight Night 128 bonuses: That wacky Simon-Dvalishvili bout was 'Fight of Night'". MMAjunkie. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  16. "Ricky Simon vs Benito Lopez official for UFC 227 in Los Angeles". www.bjpenn.com. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  17. "DWTNCS Winner Montel Jackson Steps in For Benito Lopez vs Ricky Simon at UFC 227". MMA Today. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  18. "UFC 227 results: Tenacious Ricky Simon grinds past Montel Jackson". MMAjunkie. 2018-08-05. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  19. Staff (2019-02-10). "Carcacinha faces Ricky Simon in commemorative 25th anniversary edition of UFC" (in Portuguese). sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  20. "Ricardo Ramos injured, out of UFC Denver fight with Ricky Simon". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  21. Guilherme Cruz (2018-10-16). "Ricardo Ramos injured, out of UFC Denver fight with Ricky Simon". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  22. Joe Nguyen (2018-10-23). "UFC Denver 25th anniversary card changes announced". denverpost.com. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  23. Rezende, Lucas (2019-01-08). "Report: Rani Yahya takes on Ricky Simon at UFC 234 in Australia". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  24. "UFC 234 results: Ricky Simon stays sharp, ends Rani Yahya's streak". MMAjunkie. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  25. Mike Bohn and John Morgan (2019-05-28). "UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber agrees to end retirement vs. Ricky Simon at UFC on ESPN+ 13". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  26. "UFC Sacramento: Urijah Faber stuns Ricky Simon for early KO victory". FanSided. 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  27. Nolan King (October 29, 2019). "Rob Font finally gets a fight, meets Ricky Simon at UFC on ESPN 7". mmajunkie.com.
  28. McClory, Mike (2019-12-07). "UFC DC Results: Rob Font Take Close Decision from Ricky Simon". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  29. "UFC DC bonuses: Of course that twister earned Bryce Mitchell $50k". MMA Junkie. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  30. "Dana White announces full list of UFC matchups for May 13, May 16 events in Florida". MMA Junkie. 2020-05-01. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  31. Doherty, Dan (2020-05-13). "UFC Jacksonville Results: Ricky Simon Takes Fun Fight Against Ray Borg". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  32. Marcel Dorff (2020-08-04). "Ricky Simón treft Brian Kelleher tijdens UFC evenement op 5 september". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  33. "Ricky Simon says he's out of Brian Kelleher fight after cornerman's positive COVID-19 test". MMA Junkie. 2020-08-29. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  34. "UFC rebooks Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon for Jan. 16 event". MMA Junkie. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  35. Mike Heck and Guilherme Cruz (2021-01-01). "Positive COVID-19 test scratches Brian Kelleher from UFC Fight Island 7 bout with Ricky Simon". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  36. Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck and Steven Marrocco (2021-01-07). "Ricky Simon now faces newcomer Gaetano Pirello at UFC Fight Island 8". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  37. Jay Anderson (2021-01-20). "UFC Fight Island 8 Results: Ricky Simon Submits Debuting Gaetano Pirrello". cagesidepress. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  38. Sergio Pineiro (2021-01-28). "Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon rebooked for UFC 258 on February 13". bloodycanvas.net. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  39. Doherty, Dan (2021-02-13). "UFC 258 Results: Ricky Simon Dominates Brian Kelleher". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  40. Dorff, Marcel (2021-07-28). "Drie nieuwe gevechten en een gecancelde partij voor UFC 266 op 25 september in Las Vegas". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  41. Marcel Dorff (2021-08-26). "Timur Valiev treft Daniel "Willycat" Santos tijdens UFC evenement op 16 oktober". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  42. Staff (2021-09-15). "Volkanovski vs. Ortega". tapology.com. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  43. Farah Hannoun (2021-09-17). "UFC adds Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon to Dec. 18 event". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  44. Ricky Simon says win over divisional stalwart Assuncao has him in title range. MMAjunkie.com. December 19, 2021 – via YouTube.
  45. Anderson, Jay (2021-12-18). "UFC Vegas 45: Ricky Simon Swarms Raphael Assuncao, Scores KO Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  46. Behunin, Alex. "Jack Shore vs. Ricky Simon Set For July 16 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  47. Anderson, Jay (2022-07-16). "UFC Long Island: Ricky Simon Becomes First to Beat Jack Shore". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  48. Kristen King (2022-07-16). "UFC Long Island post-fight bonuses: Matt Schnell's all-time comeback nets him $50,000". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  49. ATSteveDuncan (2023-01-20). "Song Yadong vs. Ricky Simon agregado a UFC Fight Night del 22 de abril". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  50. Matthew Wells (2023-04-17). "Ricky Simon vs. Song Yadong moved from UFC Fight Night 222, now headlines UFC Fight Night 223". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  51. "UFC Fight Night results, highlights: Song Yadong batters Ricky Simon, scores late TKO in main event". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  52. "UFC adds Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon to first 2024 event". MMA Junkie. 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  53. "Family first, fighters second: Cousins Vince Morales, Ricky Simon live out dream at UFC Sacramento". MMA Junkie. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  54. Sherdog.com. "Ricky Simon MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
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