Ricky Simón (born August 31, 1992) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He was the former Legacy Fighting Alliance Bantamweight Champion and currently competing in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). As of December 6, 2022, he is #10 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.

Background

Simón was born in

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

. 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 Vince Morales (born November 12, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division most recently for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional mixed martial artist since 2015, Morales has also com ...

. Simón started training in wrestling at nine years old. He graduated class of 2010 from Union High School in Camas, WA. After his post-graduation plans to be a collegiate wrestler for

Clark College Clark College is a public community college in Vancouver, Washington. With 11,500 students, Clark College is the largest institution of higher education in southwest Washington. Founded in 1933 as a private two-year junior college, Clark Colleg ...

did not materialize, he transitioned to mixed martial arts.

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 King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

(KOTC),

Titan Fighting Championship Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

and he was the formal Legacy Fighting Alliance Bantamweight Champion prior joining the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his UFC debut, Simón faced

Merab Dvalishvili Merab Dvalishvili (born January 10, 1991) is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 13, 2023, he is #1 in the UFC bantamweight ran ...

on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. In the final round, Simón mounted Dvalshvili with a guillotine choke, while Dvalishvili kick 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. Dvalishvilli's manager Matthew Culley filed a request to the commission to review the referee decision and the appeal was denied. This fight earned him the ''Fight of the Night'' award. Simón was scheduled to face

Benito Lopez Benito Francisco Lopez (born 6 April 1994) is an American mixed martial artist. He most competed in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Combat career Mixed martial arts career Early career In April 201 ...

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championsh ...

on August 4, 2018. However, it was reported that Lopez pulled out from the bout for undisclosed reason and was replaced by

Montel Jackson Montel Samuel Jackson (born April 24, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist, who currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Jackson started training in wrestling at high school to get ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Simón was expected to face Ricardo Ramos on November 10, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 139 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. However, it was reported on October 16, 2018, that Ramos was pulled from the bout due to a hand injury and in turn, Simón was removed from the card as well. Simón faced

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

on February 10, 2019, at

UFC 234 ''UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on February 10, 2019 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship b ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision, knocking Yahya down multiple times in the first round. Simón faced

Urijah Faber Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male, ...

on July 13, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 155 ''UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 155'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 13'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on July 13, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. Simón faced

Rob Font Rob Font (born June 25, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Font formerly competed for CES M ...

UFC on ESPN 7 ''UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as '' UFC on ESPN 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 7, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., United States ...

on December 7, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' award. 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. He won the fight via split decision. Simón was scheduled to face

Brian Kelleher Brian Matthew Kelleher (born August 19, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Kelleher currently competes in the Bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Kelleher ...

in a featherweight bout on September 5, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 176 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 176'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 34'' and ''UFC Vegas 9'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 5, 2020 at the UFC ...

. However, Simón's cornerman tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and he was forced to withdraw from the event. The pair was rescheduled on January 16, 2021, at

UFC on ABC 1 ''UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 1'' and ''UFC Fight Island 7'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 16, 2021, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island ...

. In turn, Kelleher also tested positive on January 1 and was pulled from the bout. He was replaced by newcomer Gaetano Pirrello and the bout took place four days later at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. He won the bout via second round arm triangle submission. The bout between Simón and

was rebooked for the third time and took place at

UFC 258 ''UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

on February 13, 2021. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Simón was scheduled to face

Timur Valiev Timur Arsenovich Valiev (born January 19, 1990) is a Russian mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. Valiev previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). Background ...

on September 25, 2021, at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. 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. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Simón faced

Raphael Assunção Raphael Oliveira Assunção (born 19 July 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Recife in Northeast Brazil, Assunção moved to Unite ...

on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus. Simón won the fight via knockout in the second round. Simón faced

Jack Shore Jack Shore (born 6 February 1995) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2016, he is the former Bantamweight c ...

on July 16, 2022 at

UFC on ABC 3 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight via arm-triangle submission in the second round. This win earned Simón his first ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' bonus award.

Personal life

Simón used to be a middle school wrestling coach. He is the cousin of fellow UFC bantamweight fighter

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (Two times) **

(One time) *

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

** LFA Bantamweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

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Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 , Ray Borg , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

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, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

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, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 ,

, Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Vinicius Zani , KO (punches) , LFA 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Cabazon, California Cabazon (Spanish: ''Cabazón'') is a unincorporated community in Riverside County, California, United States. Cabazon is on the Pacific Crest Trail. In the 21st century, the area has become a tourist stop, due to the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

Chico Camus Chico Camus (born January 26, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also formerly competed for the UFC, Legacy FC, ...

, Decision (unanimous) , LFA 29 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area kn ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Donavon Frelow , Decision (split) , Dana White's Contender Series 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Charon Spain , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , KOTC: Headstrong , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Lincoln City, Oregon Lincoln City is a city in Lincoln County on the Oregon Coast of the United States, between Tillamook and Newport. It is named after the county, which was named in honor of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The population was 9,815 at the 202 ...

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Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington. The population was 10,319 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,763 in 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the state of Washington. Located within the Portland metropolitan ...

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Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Paul Njoku , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC; Warrior's Spirit , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...

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Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Ricky 1992 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Vancouver, Washington American sportspeople of Mexican descent Mixed martial artists from Washington (state) Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links