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It wasn’t Ricky Simon’s night at UFC Vegas 72 when he was finished by Song Yadong in the 5th and final round. Simon was riding a 5-fight winning streak coming into last night’s matchup and this was his first loss since December 2019. It was a fight that Simon just wasn’t able to get going and Yadong just seemingly outclassed him.
Song Yadong dominating Ricky Simon🔥pic.twitter.com/wXtfOls46n
— 🔥 Combat Sports Vids (@FireMMAVid) April 30, 2023
This was Ricky Simon’s first-ever main-event fight and unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. He is still an elite bantamweight fighter in the UFC but he will need a big bounce-back fight to try to get back into those title talks. With that said, let’s take a look at what could be next for bantamweight contender Ricky Simon.
What’s next for Ricky Simon?
It was just not his night at UFC Vegas 72 but Ricky Simon is still the cream of the crop in the bantamweight division. Being that the bantamweight division is absolutely stacked with talent there is a ton of viable matchups for Simon. Let’s take a look at who could be next for the bantamweight contender.
Umar Nurmagomedov
It’s going to be tough for Simon to fight someone ahead of him in the rankings, especially someone that is coming off a win. Umar Nurmagomedov waits in the wings for a crack at a top-10 opponent and this could be it. This is by far the worst matchup for Ricky Simon to take after taking a loss against Yadong.
With that said, a win over Nurmagomedov would put Simon right in the mix at the top of the division. As many people have declined to fight Nurmagomedov, Simon taking this fight and actually winning would be a great feat and one that can put him on top again.
Adrian Yanez
Adrian Yanez finally get his crack against a top-10 opponent and it did not go well for him with an early-round knockout loss to Rob Font. Yanez will be looking to rebound just like Simon and pairing them up in a 3-round fight on a possible PPV fight card will be an exciting fight for the fans.
Yanez has the boxing and the stopping power to give trouble just like Song Yadong did on the feet. Also, Simon has the wrestling to stifle any of the striking abilities that Yanez possesses. This would be a test for both fighters to get back to fighting against the top of the division.
Jonathan Martinez
Jonathan Martinez is coming off a big win against Said Nurmagomedov in his last fight. He will be looking to fight up in the rankings and fighting against Simon just seems right. Martinez’s striking poses a major threat to Simon’s grueling style of fighting. This would be a great technical battle between a striker and a grappler, one that the UFC fans would thoroughly enjoy watching.
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Courtesy : https://clutchpoints.com/ufc-vegas-72-whats-next-for-ricky-simon-after-tko-loss-to-song-yadong