Ricky Simon On Making His UFC Debut Tonight

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Ricky Simon spoke about his time in the Dana White Contenders Series and making his debut at UFC Fight Night 128 tonight. Here are highlights:

On not officially debuting yet: “I don’t feel like I’ve officially performed for the UFC. I feel like it was a little branch off (of the UFC). But I feel like this (fight tonight) is finally the real deal.”

On his experience so far: “I got the experience of going five rounds with a UFC vet, and then I got a quick knockout finish too. The more experience the better, so I can’t complain about that. But I wish – you always wish (a UFC signing) would happen sooner.”

On his fight with Merab Dvalishvili: “He’s strong, but he’s spastic at the same time,” Simon said. ” … I’m excited to go against another strong grappler. I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of strikers, so I’m excited for this guy to try to take me down.”