Since suffering the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career at the hands of Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in Aug. 2020, Sean O’Malley has rattled off three straight technical knockout (TKO) wins. His most recent addition to the highlight reel came against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 (see it again here).
The win was good enough to earn “Suga” the No. 12 spot on the official UFC rankings, which means that target he had on his back just got a whole lot bigger.
But while O’Malley has been racking up wins, Ricky Simon is another streaking bantamweight who has been putting in his own work to the tune of collecting four straight victories in what is perhaps the most competitive weight class in all of MMA.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Simon — who is coming off an explosive knockout win over Raphael Assuncao — explained why he thinks he’s the man that will truly test “Suga.”
“I thought a finish over a ranked guy would get him excited, or get the UFC excited to make that happen,” Simon in regards to his callout of O’Malley. “I think that when I win by decisions — and I’ve got two finishes out of my three [wins] this year — so I don’t understand why people would say that I’m boring, or they don’t want to see that matchup,” he added.
“But I got a good finish and I think that fight is exciting for the fans,” he added before saying his well-rounded arsenal will be too much for “Suga” to handle.
“I get tagged about it all the time, I get asked about O’Malley all the time, and people want to see him tested against a wrestler, and I can strike, too. I think I’m a tough test for him and people want him to be tested.”
It seems like a logical fight to make since Simon is only one spot behind O’ Malley at No. 13. But if Simon truly wants the fight, he will have to wait a while because “Suga” is currently on the mend with a broken thumb and was handed a six-month medical suspension by the Nevada State Athletic OCmission (NSAC).
Does this fight interest you? If so, how do you see it playing out?