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 ''List of UFC bonus award recipients, 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 in a featherweight bout on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 176. However, Simón's cornerman tested positive for COVID-19 and he was forced to withdraw from the event. The pair was rescheduled on January 16, 2021, at UFC on ABC 1. 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 Brian Kelleher was rebooked for the third time and took place at UFC 258 on February 13, 2021. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Simón was scheduled to face Timur Valiev on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. 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 on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 199, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus. Simón won the fight via knockout in the second round. Simón faced Jack Shore on July 16, 2022 at UFC on ABC 3. He won the fight via arm-triangle submission in the second round. This win earned Simón his first ''List of UFC bonus award recipients, Performance of the Night'' 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

**List of UFC bonus award recipients, Fight of the Night (Two times) ** List of UFC bonus award recipients, Performance of the Night (One time) *Legacy Fighting Alliance **Legacy Fighting Alliance#LFA Bantamweight Championship, LFA Bantamweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Jack Shore , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on ABC: Ortega vs. Rodríguez , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:28 , Elmont, New York, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Raphael Assunção , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Brian Kelleher , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 258 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–3 , Gaetano Pirrello , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 , Abu Dhabi, 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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Washington, D.C., United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 , Sacramento, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Melbourne, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Los Angeles, California, 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) , Legacy Fighting Alliance in 2018#Legacy Fighting Alliance 36: Simon vs. Zani, LFA 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:59 , Cabazon, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Chico Camus , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy Fighting Alliance in 2017#Legacy Fighting Alliance 29: Camus vs. Simon, LFA 29 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Donavon Frelow , Decision (split) , Dana White's Contender Series Season 1#Week 5 - August 8, Dana White's Contender Series 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Las Vegas, Nevada, 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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Eduardo Torres , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC: Heavy Trauma , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lincoln City, Oregon, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Anderson dos Santos (fighter), Anderson dos Santos , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , List of Titan FC events#Titan FC 37, Titan FC 37 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 , Ridgefield, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Alex Soto , Decision (unanimous) , List of Titan FC events#Titan FC 35, Titan FC 35 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Ridgefield, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jeremiah Labiano , Decision (split) , TPF 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Paul Njoku , Decision (unanimous) , KOTC; Warrior's Spirit , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lincoln City, Oregon, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Cole Milani , TKO (punches) , FCFF: Rumble at the Roseland 80 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:55 , Portland, Oregon, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , John Martinez , TKO (punches) , Main Event MMA 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 , Longview, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kendall Ward , TKO (punches) , Main Event MMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 , Vancouver, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alex Eastman , TKO (punches) , Main Event MMA 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 , Vancouver, Washington, United States , , -

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