ABU DHABI – Ricky Simon beat Gaetano Pirrello with a second-round submission Wednesday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 20 in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look inside the fight with Simon, who won for the second straight time and got his first stoppage since April 2018.
Gaetano Pirrello vs. Ricky Simon
Result: Ricky Simon def. Gaetano Pirrello via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:00
Updated records: Simon (17-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), Pirrello (15-6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Simon landed seven takedowns and 72 percent of his total strikes for a 50-10 advantage.
Simon on the fight’s key moment
“I always feel good when I go out there and execute a game plan. I’m always on myself about what can I do better. I talk to my coaches about what can I improve on. I’m definitely happy with going out there and executing the game plan.”
An arm triangle seals the deal for @RickySimonUFC 💪 #UFCFightIsland8 pic.twitter.com/SfoFImXwJN
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021
Simon on being in it for the long haul
“I’m just one of those guys that’s not going away. I can fight the best any given night, or if those guys are busy they can throw whoever they want at me like tonight. I’m going to do what I do.”
Simon on what he wants next
“I feel great. I’ve been in camp for a while. I was supposed to fight (Brian) Kelleher back in September and went through a full camp. I stayed with Alex Perez and did a two-month camp for him for his world title fight, then jumped right back in for this one. I’ve been in nonstop camp, but I feel good. As long as my coaches are OK with it, I would like to get back in there soon.”
To hear more from Simon, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ricky-simon-quick-return-against-anyone-ufc-on-espn-20-video