UFC free fight: Watch Ricky Simon sleep Merab Dvalishvili ahead of UFC Vegas 72 (VIDEO)
Prep for the UFC Vegas 72main event by watching Ricky Simón choke Merab Dvalishvili out cold.
Ricky Simón (20-3) is ready for the biggest test of his UFC career. On Saturday, April 29, live from the UFC APEX, Simón makes his UFC main event debut against the No. 8 ranked bantamweight Song Yadong (19-7)
The event was meant to be headlined by Arman Tsarukyan taking on another ranked lightweight Renato Moicano. Unfortunately, Moicano was forced to pull out due to injury two weeks before the fight and the event seemed doomed.
Thankfully, the two bantamweights were willing to move their co-main event bout from UFC Vegas 71 into the main event slot at UFC Vegas 72 and it is definitely one that fans are anxious to get underway given the fights these two have put on throughout their UFC careers.
One of these fights is when Simón made his UFC debut back in 2018 against the now-No. 1 ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili. If you want a taste of what is to come this weekend, look no further than this dramatic free fight to get you amped up.
Watch Ricky Simón vs. Merab Dvalishvili for free on the UFC's YouTube channel
Coming into his UFC debut, Simón was likely to head towards the top of the division. Already boasting a 12-1 as well as the LFA bantamweight title, it seemed that it would be a matter of time before he would find himself headlining events and climbing up the deep 135-pound rankings.
He was handed an extremely difficult first test in the shape of Dvalishvili. Obviously not as good as he is now considering he is arguably the best bantamweight in the world, Dvalishvili was still no slouch despite tasting defeat for the first time prior to his clash with Simón.
The two would deliver a Fight of the Night bonus winner in Atlantic City as the two pushed each other to the limit with their high-level grappling and slightly less polished stand-up game. Dvalishvili look set to put a stamp on the win when he landed a huge takedown with only a minute to go.
Simón was not simply going to let himself get held and clamped on a tight guillotine choke. He held on for the remaining minute whilst his opponent gasped for air, kicked about, and turned a darker shade of purple with each passing second.
As the final horn sounded, it seemed we were heading to the judges' scorecard, however, Dvalishvili was out cold. It only took him a few seconds to recover himself and immediately show he was fine but make no mistake, Simón had him and did put him to sleep.
After a lot of uncertainty over the result, Simón was declared the winner by submission on minute five of the third round, essentially when the fight finished. Whether you believe the decision was fair or not, it is easily Simón's best win of his career and a win that continues to look better and better as Dvalishvili cements his place at the top.
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