The newest addition to the first UFC card of 2024 is a bantamweight match between Mario Bautista and Ricky Simon.
The three-round fight will take place on January 13 as a UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The booking was recently revealed to MMA Junkie by two sources, who asked to remain anonymous because the organisation hasn’t made an official announcement. The match was initially announced on Sunday by Bautista’s management, Iridium Sports Agency.
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Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon Added
Simon wants to start off his 2024 on a good note. The bantamweight competed in just one bout in 2023, losing to Yadong Song in all but one of the five rounds.
With a five-bout winning streak entering the fight, Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is riding a recent unanimous decision victory over Da’Mon Blackshear at UFC 292 in August.
Simon (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) aims to bounce back after losing to Song Yadong via TKO in the fifth round at UFC on ESPN 45 in April. The defeat ended a five-fight winning streak that had featured victories over Raphael Assuncao and Jack Shore among others.
The UFC Fight Night schedule for January 13 now includes:
- Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Norma Dumont vs. Yana Santos
- Gaston Bolanos vs. Marcus McGhee
- Bassil Hafez vs. Preston Parsons
