UFC bantamweight Ricky Simon has responded to Michael Bisping calling him a 'little s**t' after their uncomfortable UFC Vegas 45 interview.
Simon most recently earned a big win over bantamweight veteran Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 45, knocking him out in the second round. After the bout, Bisping falsely stated that this was Simon's first win over a ranked opponent, which seemed to irk Simon.
Bisping appeared to set up Simon for another callout of Sean O'Malley after the two had exchanged words and expressed interest in a fight in the past. While Simon ended up calling out O'Malley, the setup didn't go as planned.
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“He goes, ‘I’ve beaten ranked guys before,’” Bisping said. “I said, ‘Well, you definitely weren’t ranked,’ because he wasn’t ranked. He was trying to make me look silly. I’m literally relaying the information that I was told to say [by the producer].
“So how about you direct your venom at him and tell him not to be such a little sh*t.”
Bisping's response raised eyebrows on social media, with many feeling that he didn't take responsibility for the minor blunder. During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Simon reacted to Bisping's latest comments regarding their awkward post-fight encounter.
Ricky Simon Responds To Michael Bisping's 'Little S**t' Comment
“Maybe he didn’t want to be corrected,” Simon said. “I mean, is there a rule that I’m not allowed to correct him on-air or something? I don’t know if there is, maybe I should’ve said something after, but this is my life. This is what I put everything into. Everything that I do is to wake up in the morning and get better at this specific sport.
“And I have the receipts: I’ve fought a ranked guy before. I beat a ranked guy. I was ranked before. I just thought that I would clear that up.”
Simon has now won four-straight fights and is quickly rising in the stacked bantamweight division. Following back-to-back losses to Rob Font and Urijah Faber, he has rebounded nicely and appears set to possibly earn a big-name opponent for his next fight.
There were plenty of off-kilter post-fight interviews in the UFC in 2021, but Simon and Bisping's odd moment is probably near the top of the list. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see if Simon and Bisping bury the hatchet at some point.
What was your reaction to the awkward Ricky Simon/Michael Bisping interview?