A pair of top 15 bantamweights will collide in July one week before UFC London.
Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that No. 12 ranked bantamweight Ricky Simon will fight No. 15 ranked Jack Shore.
Since his last loss, Simon (19-3) is riding a four-fight win streak. The 29-year-old went 3-0 in 2021, picking up wins over Gaetano Pirrello and Brian Kelleher in less than a month’s time. In addition Simon ended his year by knocking out Raphael Assuncao, which put him back into the top 15 rankings.
Shore (16-0) has been on a roll since arriving in the UFC winning all five of his fights. “Tank” picked up the biggest win of his career so far by defeating Timur Valiev at UFC London in March.
The fighter from Wales was hoping to return to London later this year, but it looks like he will have to wait. Shore went 2-0 in 2011, defeating Liudvik Sholinian and Hunter Azure.
The UFC’s July 16 event does not yet have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. The following fights have been reported:
- Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Jung Da Un
- Herbert Burns vs. Khusein Askhabov
- Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Lemos
- Jack Shore vs. Ricky Simon
