UFC bantamweight Ricky Simon wants a piece of the Sugar Show. Although O’Malley is set to take on former 135-pound champ Petr Yan in his next fight, Ricky Simon called out O’Malley as both the “biggest” and “easiest” fight in the division.
“It’s the biggest fight, with the most amount of eyes, and the least dangerous and easiest fight in my division, in my opinion. 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.”
Ricky Simon: O’Malley Is “Biggest” and “Easiest” Fight at 135 Pounds
Ricky Simon defeated Jack Shore, a previously undefeated fighter, with a second-round submission at UFC Long Island. Simon sees O’Malley as a far easier opponent than Shore.
Oh, yeah [it’s an easier fight]. 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.”
Simon, like many fans, found O’Malley’s performance against Pedro Munhoz (at least until the eye poke that stopped Munhoz, and the fight) remarkably underwhelming.
“It was kind of the way I imagined the fight going because Sean’s such a counterstriker and he had such a big reach advantage. I thought Pedro might be able to kick his legs, and I thought he might be able to do more, but all he really did was leg strikes.
Boring. It was kind of a let down. 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.”
Sean O’Malley has long promised that he will capture the UFC bantamweight strap, and if he can defeat Petr Yan, he’ll likely be next in line to challenge for the title. Ricky Simon will have to wait before he gets a chance to take on O’Malley, particularly is “Suga” Sean can enter the bantamweight title conversation. If the fight does go ahead in future however, it offers an intriguing striking-versus-grappling bout.
Is Ricky Simon right about Sean O’Malley? Let us know in the comments.
