UFC free fight: Ricky Simon sleeps Merab Dvalishvili right at the buzzer

Ricky Simon’s 2018 win over Merab Dvalishvili is aging like fine wine.

Dvalishvili, who’s regarded by many as the No. 1 contender at 135 pounds, is on an impressive nine-fight winning streak, which started after the technical submission loss to Simon (20-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) back in April 2018. Simon is the last person to defeat Dvalishvili and is currently the only person to ever finish him, too.

The submission victory stands as one of Simon’s best career wins. You can relive it in the video above.

Simon returns to the cage this Saturday against fellow contender Song Yadong (19-7-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC). The key bantamweight bout headlines UFC Fight Night 223, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The main card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.