Montel JacksonW vs. Ricky Simon
UFC Fight Night · September 26, 2026 · Meta Apex · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Montel Jackson by KO/TKO (punches), R2
- What kind of fight
- Power vs. volume
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Jackson -205 · Simon +173Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Bantamweight · Prelims
The result
Montel Jackson def. Ricky Simon — KO/TKO (punches), R2 2:39
Montel Jackson avenged his 2018 UFC debut loss to Ricky Simon with a statement second-round TKO at UFC Vegas 121.
Jackson dropped Simon with a clean one-two and followed up with finishing strikes on the canvas before the referee stepped in at 2:39 of round two.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Jackson's knockout power is the single biggest variable in this fight, but Simon's pace and wrestling have given him a path to competitive fights against far more decorated strikers.
Whoever adjusts fastest off their own recent setback likely wins a close, grinding contest.
The matchup
Both bantamweights arrive off rough patches against the same recent opponents — Jackson lost to Barcelos in April, and Simon lost to Barcelos in November before drawing his following fight.
Jackson's power gives him the more direct path to a finish, while Simon's volume and wrestling have historically been enough to frustrate power punchers over three rounds.
Tale of the tape
| 15-4 | Record | 22-7-1 |
| 34 | Age | 34 |
| 5'10" | Height | 5'6" |
| 75.5" | Reach | 69" |
| — | Stance | — |
| United States | Country | United States |
| — | Team | Team Oyama |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Montel Jackson 15-4
“Quik”
Montel 'Quik' Jackson is a 34-year-old American bantamweight known for heavy hands, with eight of his fifteen career wins coming by knockout. A six-fight win streak from 2021 to 2025 came to a halt with back-to-back decision losses, most recently a split decision to Raoni Barcelos in April 2026, and he now looks to snap the skid against a fellow veteran in Ricky Simon.
- LRaoni Barcelos · Decision (split)UFC Fight Night · April 25, 2026
Ricky Simon 22-7-1
Ricky Simon is a 34-year-old American bantamweight training with Team Oyama, a high-volume wrestler with 22 career wins and a reputation for relentless pace. He is winless in his last two appearances, a decision loss to Raoni Barcelos and a majority draw with Adrian Yanez, and now meets fellow veteran Montel Jackson looking to reset both of their recent skids.
- DAdrian Yanez · Draw (majority)UFC Fight Night · March 28, 2026
- LRaoni Barcelos · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs. Brown · November 8, 2025