Ricky Simon is aware that he probably won’t get the chance to take on Sean O’Malley anytime soon, but he also recognises the significance of the opportunity.
Following his spectacular second-round submission victory over the unbeaten Jack Shore at UFC Long Island, Simon demanded a rematch with O’Malley. That callout proved ineffective, as O’Malley eventually secured a fight at UFC 280 against former UFC champion Petr Yan. However, Simon was open about his opinion of O’Malley’s standing in the bantamweight division before the booking.
“It’s the biggest fight, with the most amount of eyes, and the least dangerous and easiest fight in my division, in my opinion,” Simon said. “I think O’Malley’s the easiest fight of all the guys I could be fighting in the top-10. I know he has a big following and it would be entertaining for the fans, as well. He’s good at what he does, and I’m mean in there.”
“You see how skinny O’Malley’s hips are? Those freaking little skinny legs? ” – Simon on who is the easier fight, O’Malley or Shore
In response to the question of whether O’Malley would be a more straightforward opponent than Shore, who entered the UFC Long Island octagon with a perfect 16-0 record, Simon doubled down.
“Oh, yeah [it’s an easier fight],’ Simon said. “Jack Shore was able to defend some of those takedowns. You see how skinny O’Malley’s hips are? Those freaking little skinny legs? I would wrap my arms around his legs and I’m going to carry him around just like I did Jack — who is a way better grappler — and I would slam him on his head so bad.”
In response to the question of whether O’Malley would be a more straightforward opponent than Shore, who entered the UFC Long Island octagon with a perfect 16-0 record, Simon doubled down.
When O’Malley met Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, he faced his first significant top-10 test. After O’Malley accidentally poked his eye, the fight came to a sudden halt, and the outcome was declared a no contest.
Simon thought both the fight and the outcome were quite disappointing.
“I was probably most excited for that fight because it was in my division, and the first real big test for O’Malley. It was kind of a boring, lackluster finish.
“I thought he lost the first round, and I think all the judges had it that way, as well.” – Ricky Simon
