The anticipated battle between Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon has been rebooked for the UFC event on Feb. 13. Originally, the bout was scheduled to take place last September, but due to issues surrounding COVID-19, the bout was halted. Additionally, the bout was rebooked for early December 2020, however, the virus reared it’s ugly head once again. Subsequently, the news was first reported by sources at BloodyCanvas.net.
Prior to the rebooking announcement, Kelleher (22-11) put his momentum on the line after Simon (17-3) fell out of their initial booking. Specifically, the bantamweight athlete took on Ray Rodriguez on extremely short notice. With the problems that have surrounded the virus, Kelleher’s choice to fight at the featherweight limit was a great decision. Not only did Kelleher get the job done, but he was also able to finish Rodriguez quickly in the first round. Per the usual, the New York native picked up another exciting guillotine submission in a mere 39 seconds.
Signed sealed and delivered. Business is boomin feb 13th pic.twitter.com/WZe3z76gAR
— Brian BOOM Kelleher (@brianboom135) January 28, 2021
Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon – Third time’s a Charm
The 28-year old Simon is looking to pick up the biggest win of his career. Since Simon is also coming in with momentum, certainly the anticipation behind the bout will deliver. While both athletes are career bantamweights, this fight will be contested at the featherweight limit. Simon enters the bout with back-to-back wins over Ray Borg and Gaetano Pirrello. Not to mention his win over Pirrello ended in a slick arm-triangle choke finish.
With the addition of Brian Kelleher and Ricky Simon on Feb. 13, here is the updated list of fights scheduled for the big pay-per-view, UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns:
- Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns
- Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall
- Maycee Barber vs. Alexa Grasso
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Ian Heinisch
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
- Polyana Viana vs. Mallory Martin
- Gabe Green vs. Philip Rowe
- Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Anthony Hernandez
- Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick
- Ricky Simón vs. Brian Kelleher