Two seven-year UFC veterans, Ricky Simon and Raoni Barcelos, will face each other in the second bout of tonight’s UFC Fight Night Main Card. Simon has won two straight bouts while Barcelos is riding a three-bout win streak. The Main Event of this event is No. 14 Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown in a three-round Welterweight contest.
Here is my best bet for Ricky Simon vs. Raoni Barcelos at tonight’s UFC Fight Night.
Ricky Simon Moneyline (-180)
Although neither fighter is ranked inside the UFC’s Bantamweight top-15, the winner of this bout could very well find themselves in the rankings come Tuesday. Barcelos is trying to extend his winning streak to four for the first time since 2020, while Simon is attempting to win his third straight for the first time since 2022.
Simon is a -180 favorite while Barcelos is a +145 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. This fight is -200 to go the distance while being +150 to end before the allotted 15 minutes.
Barcelos averages nearly two more significant strikes per minute at an eight-percent better rate than Simon does. But the difference in this fight comes on the ground, where Simon lands over five takedowns per 15 minutes at a 43 percent rate. Barcelos does have an impressive 85 percent takedown defense, but if Simon is aggressive and relentless enough, he should be able to get the fight to the ground.
