Ricky Simon ended a grueling three-fight losing streak earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 22, 2025) at UFC Seattle LIVE on ESPN+ from inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., handing bantamweight contender Javid Basharat his first loss by way of finish with a monstrous first-round knockout (punch).
Simon, who hadn’t tasted victory in over two years entering Saturday night, had his back against the wall. Fortunately, Simon was fighting in front of his home crowd and had his foot on the gas pedal from the opening bell. This included a nice takedown that forced Basharat to keep guessing where the attacks would come from.
Basharat, who is a solid all-around fighter, started to stuff Simon’s takedowns so the veteran switched up his approach. Simon launched a crushing straight right hand that connected flush and sent Basharat violently crashing to the canvas. Simon flew in for a brutal follow-up punch, but it wasn’t needed. Basharat was seeing stars.
Check out the final moments in the above video player.
Simon, 32, is now back on the right path at 135 pounds. There was a time when fight fans thought Simon could make a run in the top 10, but things took a turn for the worse from 2023-2024. Maybe this is a sign of great things to come for Simon. Remember, he’s the only fighter to ever stop current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
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