Like many others, Ricky Simon grew up admiring Urijah Faber. And whenever you receive an opportunity to compete against your hero, even if the sport is professional face-punching, it is quite the honor. So much so, that in the case of Ricky Simon, he postponed his honeymoon to instead take the sacred vow of punching his hero in the mouth:
“I called my fianceé and said, ‘We got Urijah Faber, so we’re gonna have to postpone some things,’” Simon told Bloody Elbow.
“Honestly, it would probably had to have been an important fight like this one or a top 10-ranked fight,” Simon said when asked what kind of fight for which he would delay his already-scheduled honeymoon. “It wouldn’t have taken too much if someone was ranked for me to get back in there, but my fiancee has put up a lot. We’ve sacrificed a lot. It would’ve taken a big fight, and this is a big fight, so we had to do it.”
For Simon, beating his hero in devastating fashion would have traces of bitterness in it. No one likes to see someone they admire rendered unconscious, after all. That said, the bitterness does not outweigh the sweetness of what such a win would do for Simon’s résumé moving forward:
“It was a bit of surprise, it was cool, because I grew up watching him,” Simon said. “It’s gonna be more sweet than bitter. Don’t get me wrong: I’m excited, Urijah is a Hall of Famer and a legend. But I plan on going out there, knocking Urijah out, and starting my legacy.”
Ricky Simon vs. Urijah Faber will serve as the co-main event for UFC Sacramento, which will air exclusively on ESPN+ on Saturday, July 13, 2019.
Do you believe a victory over Urijah Faber at this stage of Faber’s career would be a huge boost to Ricky Simon’s legacy?
