After picking up a third consecutive UFC victory in the early part of 2019, Simon dropped back-to-back contests to a returning Urijah Faber and perennial contender Rob Font. Since then, the bantamweight from the Pacific Northwest has not missed a beat.
The 30-year-old Simon enters Saturday’s co-main event pairing with Song Yadong on a five-fight winning streak, having earned three of those victories by stoppage, including handing Jack Shore the first loss of his career last time out.
A regional standout touted as a future contender during his early prospect days, Simon earned a split decision win over Donavon Frelow on Episode 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) but didn’t get a contract. He returned to the regional scene, won and successfully defended the LFA bantamweight crown, and then got the call to compete on the biggest stage in the sport a month later, debuting with a submission win over current top-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili at the buzzer.
Order UFC 288: Sterling vs Cejudo Today!
Simon is one of those competitors that has always been very good, but he has taken things to an entirely different level as of late. Following the split decision win over Ray Borg that started his current run of success, he made a commitment to pursuing more finishes and being more aggressive, and it has resulted in an additional four victories and three stoppages.
This weekend’s main event pairing with Song is another step up in competition for the Fabiano Scherner-trained fighter — a date against a 25-year-old Top 10 staple coming off a loss to Cory Sandhagen in a competitive main event clash last September — and a chance for Simon to truly establish himself as a threat in the ultra-talented 135-pound ranks.
Getting into the title conversation at bantamweight is a daunting task, even once you’re stationed inside the Top 10, but a sixth straight win and a victory over Song would certainly help Simon’s case going forward.
