Undefeated bantamweight Ricky Simon was initially scheduled to headline Friday’s Titan FC 37 card against former Titan FC bantamweight champion Brett Johns as the two were going to battle for the vacant title. However, Johns recently pulled out of the event with an injury and Simon will now be facing Anderson dos Santos for the 135 pound title.
Simon (7-0) entered Titan FC last year as he took on Alex Soto at Titan FC 35 in September. He would end up scoring a decision victory over Soto on that night and that victory would secure him this title fight on Friday night. Along with that fight securing a title opportunity, Simon feels that fight was a good showing of who he is as a mixed martial artist.
“Maybe my last fight with Titan FC would be a good one because it was against a UFC vet,” Simon told The MMA Report. “Someone who has already been there and done it. I feel like I handled that situation just fine and I showed a lot of my skill set, but not all of it. That would be a good one for people to check out and see what I can do.”
Titan FC 37 will be coming from the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, Washington on Friday and Simon told The MMA Report that the venue is around 25 minutes from where he lives. While he is excited to be headlining a fight in his home state and being so close to his home, he understands there may be a little more pressure in this fight as opposed to his previous fights.
“There probably is a little bit of extra pressure with it being a fight of this magnitude in my home town,” he said. “But once it comes to fight night, I kind of tune everything out. Relax and got through the normal routine.”
Simon’s fight on Friday against Anderson dos Santos is a big opportunity. Several of the guys that he trains with on a daily basis at Rose City FC will be on this card and along with being excited for his fight, he is excited to be competing on the same event as his teammate Pat Healy.
“I have guys in my weight class like Ian Loveland and Tyson Nam,” Simon explained. “And other up and coming guys like Carson Frei and Benny Vinson. They are in there grinding with me all the time and those are just some of the guys in my weight class. I also get to see guys like Dave Jansen and Pat Healy in the gym everyday. Get to train with them and there is a lot of hard work being put in for this fight. I am excited to share the stage with someone like Pat Healy. Getting on the same card as him is super exciting.”