Bantamweight Ricky Simon believes he’s right where he’s supposed to be in the main event of UFC Vegas 72 this Saturday — despite his fight being bumped back a week to top the card as a replacement headliner.
“It feels right. It feels right, I think this is right where I’m supposed to be,” Simon (20-3) said during Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 72 media day. “I’ve been with the UFC five years now, it took a little bit longer to get to this point, and it’s kind of funny how it happened— quick switch-up. But it feels right.”
Simon and Song Yadong got the nod, and an extra two rounds, to replace Arman Tsarukyan vs. Renato Moicano, which fell through after a Moicano knee injury. An extra week for Simon to wait doesn’t seem like much given he’s been on the sidelines since July.
Simon would have liked to have got back to work sooner after his last fight, which saw him become the first man to beat Welsh prospect Jack Shore last July. But, added Simon, “I only got one offer, that was against Merab [Dvalishvili], never heard back.” Simon actually holds a 2018 win over Dvalishvili; the Georgian’s success since might have increased anticipation for a rematch. But it wasn’t to be, and instead Simon spent the time off with family.
While there might be some doubts as to what he was doing wrong to not have the UFC push him sooner, Simon believes that a big part of his inability to book a fight is his ranking. He currently sits at #10 in the bantamweight division.
“I’m ranked now. I want to move forward, so it’s kind of hard to get those guys to agree to the fights. Everyone wants to fight forward,” noted Simon. “I know that’s part of it, but I want to stay active for sure.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 72 media day appearance by Ricky Simon above.
