Ricky Simon lived up to the favorite tag coming into the fight against Raphael Assuncao. He came into the contest, an unranked fighter looking to break into the top 15. As soon as the fight started, Simon showed his dominance. He took his opponent down early and kept him on the mat.
Ricky Simon Ladies and Gentlemen
Beautiful KO #UFCVegas45 pic.twitter.com/alAlgQ0Erw— OctagonSmoke (@OctagonSmoke) December 19, 2021
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Simon landed a few strikes and looked the superior fighter from the top. In the second round, the American didn’t take the fight to the ground and displayed good head movement on his feet. After a few exchanges, Simon landed a huge right hand, which stumbled Assuncao. Before he could follow it with some ground and pound, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
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This was Simon’s fourth win in a row in the UFC. With a win over the number 12 ranked Brazilian, he may enter the top 15. Simon has looked impressive in all four wins and will now look to fight bigger names in the division. On the flip side, as Assuncao is now on a four-fight losing streak, UFC might have a decision to make.
Who’s next for Ricky Simon?
Simon is looking like a real deal in the bantamweight division. There are a lot of fighters that he can face next. After his win over Assuncao, he called out the name of Sean O’Malley but wasn’t fixated on him. He said he would fight anyone that the UFC wants him to fight.
That feeling when Vancouver's Ricky Simon scores a KO to cash your MMA parlay bet. 💪 pic.twitter.com/LqmtOdpu96
— Micah Rice (@col_mrice) December 19, 2021
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Bantamweight is one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. There are some big names and some up-and-coming names in there as well. A fight with someone like Song Yadong can be an exciting one. With a four-fight win streak, a couple of big wins can get him in the top 5 and a title shot might not be too far.
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Some of the biggest names in the world can be in his sights. If he keeps performing the way he did against Assuncao, the UFC will have to offer him the biggest fights.
What did you make of Simon’s performance? Who do you think he should fight next? Let us know in the comments!