Veteran fighter Ricky Simon is confirmed to remain on the upcoming UFC Atlanta fight card.
Sources close to the promotion have verified that Simon will now face Cameron Smotherman on short notice this Saturday. The bout is part of the Fight Night event marking the promotion`s return to Atlanta. Smotherman steps in following a late opponent change.
Smotherman is replacing Charles Jourdain, who was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an eye injury. This will be the 27-year-old`s second fight in two months and his third overall appearance inside the octagon. In his UFC debut, Smotherman secured a unanimous decision victory over Jake Hadley, but he later lost his second promotional fight to Serhiy Sidey at UFC Des Moines in May.
Simon recently rebounded from a three-fight losing streak by securing a notable submission win against Javid Basharat at UFC Seattle in February. The 32-year-old is preparing for his 15th walk to the octagon and will be aiming for his 10th victory under the UFC banner.
The UFC Atlanta card is headlined by a significant welterweight matchup featuring former division champion Kamaru Usman returning to action against the surging contender Joaquin Buckley.
Marcus Blakely