Ricky Simon

Overview

Ricky Simon beat Merab Dvalishvili, and he has also lost to Montel Jackson, the man he beat in 2018. That is the career in one swing: a bantamweight with a 10-7-1 UFC record, a five-fight win streak in the middle of it, and a run of losses in the most recent stretch of the fight list. He fights out of Syndicate MMA and was born in Pendleton, Oregon.

He comes into his next fight on a two-fight losing streak. Neither of those losses was to a soft opponent: our model rates both Raoni Barcelos and Jackson as strong.

UFC Career

Simon's road to the UFC went through Dana White's Contender Series 1.5 in August 2017, where he won a split decision over Donavon Frelow. That fight sits outside the UFC record, which starts in April 2018 with a third-round submission of Merab Dvalishvili. Decisions over Montel Jackson and Rani Yahya followed, and he was 3-0 in the UFC.

Then came two quick losses: a 46-second knockout to Urijah Faber in July 2019 and a unanimous decision to Rob Font that December. He rebuilt with five straight wins, his longest streak: a split decision over Ray Borg, submissions of Gaetano Pirrello and Jack Shore, a decision over Brian Kelleher, and a second-round TKO of Raphael Assuncao.

The streak ended in a five-round fight against Song Yadong in April 2023, a TKO loss at 1:10 of round five. He then dropped decisions to Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira before a first-round TKO of Javid Basharat in February 2025, followed by a decision over Cameron Smotherman. A decision loss to Raoni Barcelos, a majority draw with Adrian Yanez and a second-round TKO loss in the Jackson rematch bring the record to where it stands.

Wins and losses have come in clusters.

Fighting Style

Simon is a wrestler first. He gets takedowns at a rate well beyond the typical UFC fighter and is very hard to take down himself, so he usually dictates where a fight is fought. His striking defense is also a strength, making him hard to hit. His output, accuracy and the damage he absorbs all sit around the UFC average, so he is not a volume striker.

He is not a submission hunter, either. He attempts submissions far less often than most UFC fighters. Even so, three of his UFC wins came by submission, all in the second or third round, so the finishes arrive without a constant search for them.

Five of his wins and four of his losses went to the judges, so many of his fights go the distance. Of his three knockout losses, one came in round one, one in round two and one in round five.

Notable Wins

• Merab Dvalishvili — submission, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee (2018)
• Jack Shore — submission, round 2, UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodriguez (2022)
• Raphael Assuncao — TKO, round 2, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus (2021)
• Rani Yahya — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva (2019)

Quick Facts

• Division: Bantamweight
• UFC record: 10-7-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 22-8-1
• UFC debut: 2017
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'6" / 69"
• Team: Syndicate MMA
• Born: Pendleton, OR, United States