Ricky Simon: It’s a ‘bad idea’ for Urijah Faber to return against me

Ricky Simon did not expect to get the offer to fight UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber. Simon believed the UFC would give Urijah Faber a winnable fight in his return to action, and assures that he is not that.

The 26-year-old is 15-1 as a pro and undefeated in the UFC. He is coming off of a decision win over Rani Yahya at UFC 234, which cemented him as a top-15 bantamweight. While he was waiting for his next fight contract, he was in the midst of planning a wedding and honeymoon, which he had to cancel the latter when the call to fight Faber came.

“I wasn’t anticipating fighting until August because I was in the middle of planning a wedding. The first thing that came to mind was shit I have to call my fiancee,” Simon said to BJPENN.com. “We were supposed to be on our honeymoon so I hung out with my manager, called her and said we have this opportunity so we canceled everything right there.”

Now, he is just days away from the biggest fight of his life. He admits Urijah Faber is much better than fighting someone lower down in the rankings. Not only is he excited to fight “The Calfornia Kid” but he also believes he dominates the fight against the legend and builds his name off of the 40-year-old.

Ricky Simon to Urijah Faber: ‘to come back against me is a bad idea’

“I was surprised, I was thinking he would want someone a little easier. For him to come back against me is a bad idea,” he explained. “I’m hungry, I’m young, I’m a prospect on a winning streak. I am trying to make my name. This proves to me that Urijah Faber thinks he can hang with me. But, once the cage door closes I’m going to stop him.”

Ricky Simon is confident he leaves Sacramento with a win, and most likely a finish over Urijah Faber. He still does not know why the Hall of Famer wanted to fight him and plans on proving to him it was a bad idea to come out of retirement.

“I see it being an exciting fight but my pressure will be too much for Urijah Faber. He is damn near 41 years old so I don’t think he will be able to keep up with me,” Simon said. “I’m going to pressure him and I’m always gunning for that finish. I’m hoping for a finish and I think late second or early third round.

“I am going to beat up this Hall of Famer, go on honeymoon with a $50k bonus then back to work right after,” Simon concluded.

Who do you think will win the fight between Ricky Simon and Urijah Faber?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/9/2019.