Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simon
UFC Fight Night · September 26, 2026 · Meta Apex · Main Card 8:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Power vs. volume
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Bantamweight · Main Card
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