MMA Preview – Ricky Simon vs Mario Bautista at UFC Fight Night 234
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RICKY SIMON VS MARIO BAUTISTA FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 234? Saturday 13th January, 2024 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 234? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Las Vegas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 234? Click here to buy tickets for UFC Fight Night
What channel is UFC Fight Night 234 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 234? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
RICKY SIMON VS MARIO BAUTISTA LOWDOWN
We last saw Ricky Simon (20-4) in April last year when he got his five-fight winning streak crushed by Yadong Song. He reeled off impressive wins over Ray Borg (2020), Gaetano Pirrello (2021), Brian Kelleher (2021), Raphael Assuncao (2021) and Jack Shore (2022) before meeting the top ranked bantamweight. He almost made it a full five rounds but got TKO’d denting his UFC record to 8-3.
Mario Bautista (13-2) is quietly climbing up the rankings as he sits on a five-fight win streak. His last loss was a knockout to Trevin Jones (2021) but responded by earning a unanimous decision over Jay Perrin (2022) before submitting Kelleher (2022), Benito Lopez (2022) and Guido Cannetti (2023). He last fought in August when he picked up another unanimous decision over Da’Mon Blackshear.
RICKY SIMON VS MARIO BAUTISTA PREDICTION
Simon is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the division and if his striking continues to improve, he will be a force in the division. He came up short against the top tier striker Song, but fortunately for him, Bautista is not quite on his level.
Bautista is very well-rounded and a good grappler himself. If Simon is as tentative as his last fight, Bautista will begin to pour on the volume, but if Simon sticks to his strengths and enforces a relentless pressure with his wrestling, he can take control of the fight.
Bautista has been a lot more active and will not accept being pinned down, but we expect Simon to chain takedowns together in between exchanges on the feet and smothering him enough to convince the judges.
Prediction: Simon via Decision
