‘UFC Vegas 72’ Beforemath: What Simon Needs to Do to Beat Song

Isn’t bantamweight just the best? This weekend we have a Top 10 matchup and, while some contender matchups are pretty “eh,” when it comes to bantamweight, it’s bangers all the way down. The fight in question at UFC Fight Night 223 is a five-rounder featuring Yadong Song and Ricky Simon. Song is coming off of a loss to Cory Sandhagen, a fight where he largely came out with a good sense of accomplishment and fared better against “The Sandman” than others have. Simon is riding a five-fight win streak, and boasts some top-notch victories, including names like Merab Dvalishvili, Raphael Assuncao and Jack Shore.

So today we’re diving into a really fun film study on Song vs. Simon. It is Beforemath for “UFC Vegas 72” and it’s time to have some fun!

Song: Heavy Hands Got Him Here

Song is a heavy hitter. He can crack hard and change a fight at any point. After joining the UFC at age 19, Song has torn through the bantamweight division with wins over “Chito” Marlon Vera and Marlon Moraes. He looks to make a statement with a win. Simon is a pretty complete fighter with an emphasis on wrestling. Having worked on his hands, Simon has become quite a threat on the feet, but his bread and butter has always been his wrestling. For this fight, Song will have to toe the line, especially when it comes to the clinch, where he’s at risk of being taken down, but where he can also land heavier shots.

When in the pocket with an opponent, Song can punish his opponents in the most devastating way. Against Moraes, the fight where Yadong “arrived” for most fans, he did just that. In our first figure, we see (1) Song and Moraes exchanging strikes. Song times the jab of Moraes and comes over the top with a right hand. You’ll notice Song slipped his head to the inside of Moraes’ jab which sets up his next strike, the left uppercut (2). Moraes is off the center line here and misses. Finally, (3) Song comes up the middle with a rear uppercut and Moraes goes down.

Should Song stay in the clinch for too long, he will end up run through for a takedown and in a very bad spot against Simon. Look for Song to not hang around in the clinch. If he starts to get greedy, it could be a bad night, as Simon can put the fight away on the ground at any moment.

Simon also drives a torrid pace when he fights. Song will need to work on ways of slowing him down. As we usually discuss in Beforemath, low kicks and body work are important to slowing an opponent down. Song isn’t much of a kicker but when he does kick, he’s efficient. Upping the volume against Simon might not be a bad idea and could slow down his opponent’s relentless pursuit of offense.

Circling back to that fight with Moraes, we get to see a good example of how Song can, and does, go to the body. It’s one of the things he is good at. (1) To cover the distance, Song will have a giant step in and enter the pocket with Moraes. (2) He will then touch Moraes with the Jab, which gets Moraes to bring his guard up. This exposes the midsection of Moraes, primed for a left hook. (3) Song sees this and lands a crushing body blow. He then (4) gets a little greedy and works for a left hook which Moraes barely avoids. Notice here how Song is out of position with his left arm very extended and his hips square. Getting into this position with Simon will only be an invitation for an inevitable takedown. Song needs to avoid overextending himself at all costs.

The last figure I want to look at for Song is from the Sandhagen loss. Here, we get to see Song pivot out and stay off the center line with his footwork. This will come in handy against Simon, who will be looking for flat-footed moments to get Song off his feet. With Sandhagen being so aggressive, we see (1) an over pursuit. Sandhagen (2) throws a left that Song dips under. He uses this position to (3) pivot his right leg around and be presented with two options. With his right arm around the back of Sandhagen, he can reach down for the single-leg takedown or throw a lead hook. (4) Song opts for the lead hook.

With Song reliant on the pocket to land his best shots, these types of pivots and body work to slow down Simon and help Song stay out of the pocket for too long. If he does not do this, it can be a rough night for him. Lastly, Song needs to be patient. He has only been scheduled for one five-round fight in the UFC, which ended in the fourth-round finish he suffered from Sandhagen. In that fight, Sing gave a good account of himself in the third and fourth rounds. Simon has fought for five rounds before, but never in the UFC, so Song will have the edge when it comes to relevant experience. He still should take it slowly and turn up the heat as the fight goes on.

With a win, Song can reset after his loss to Sandhagen and continue his rise through the bantamweight division, but Simon is the man in front of him and if he has anything to say about it, that won’t be as easy.

Simon: Rise to the Occasion

This is Simon’s new big chance at the top of the division. His first came in 2019 against Urijah Faber, who finished him in under a minute. Next, Simon dropped a second straight against then-rising contender Rob Font, but since then, Simon has hit a stride and won five straight fights.

Simon is tough to hit. His head movement is one of the most fun aspects of his game, but it puts him in some situations in which he’s not as able to strike as effectively. However, Simon’s game is all based on getting the takedown. Simon will box his way into takedown attempts, slipping and dipping his way around punches in order to eventually get to his opponents’ legs or hips.

Against Rafael Assuncao, Simon put on a showcase of head movement in a spectacular finish. The finishing sequence, as seen above, is a beautiful series of events that perfectly encapsulates Simon’s unpolished, but effective head movement. (1) Starting off, Simon slips a long jab from Assuncao. He slips to the inside but sees an opening for a strike. Seconds later, (2) he will slip to the outside of the jab instead. Notice that he slips to his right and away from his opponent, loading up his right hand. (3) Sure enough, the right comes and lands clean, forcing Assuncao to shake off the blow to keep himself in the fight. Simon does his best Michael Jackson impression and shows Assuncao a smooth criminal. Still coming forward, (4) Simon dips under the right hook of Assuncao, (5) rocks away and then (6) uses that momentum to hop back and exit the pocket.

That head movement, paired with Simon’s unpredictability and variety in slipping and dipping, will make it that much harder for Song to connect. Simon has been knocked out in the past by Faber, but since then he’s improved himself and become better from the loss. It’s apparent by his wins over Assuncao and Shore that Simon is a completely different fighter now than in 2019, but as mentioned, he still looks to get the fight to the ground. It’s what he does best. Simon will often come forward and draw strikes out of his opponent under which he can then dip, as seen with Assuncao earlier, to push his opponents back to the fence and get in on a leg or hip. This will almost certainly be the gameplan against Song. Simon won’t want to risk Song’s power and will instead look for the takedown.

Getting to opponents’ legs has become easier as Simon has developed a good standup game that complements his wrestling as well as creating offense. Against Shore, we saw that in action. (1) Simon will throw a right and miss. Shore will want to respond with a power shot from his left side, where Simon is overextending. Instead of continuing with the throw, (2) Simon dips down underneath the punch of Shore. Shore has made a mistake of over pursuing and is took close to Ricky Simon to protect himself. Simon will notice this and (3) grab the leg. He will eventually complete this takedown by driving through and to the fence.

Simon is not a big body puncher but he does consistently work the legs. With the low kick being the longest weapon, Simon will go there to land some shots and then continue his advancement. For his fight with Song, Simon will want to go to that well a bit more to damage the legs and take some of his foe’s power away. Sandhagen went 15 of 15 to Song’s legs and with Song sitting down on his punches like he does, a low kick will be extra effective for Simon.

Simon has a big chance to make a name for himself. People are high on Song after his performance against Sandhagen and are pleasantly surprised to see his wins over Vera and Moraes as well. But don’t forget that Simon has a win over Merab Dvalishvili in a fantastic fight in his UFC debut. He also has a win over Brian Kelleher and former title challenger Ray Borg. Simon is no slouch either. This one will be a slobberknocker.