The bantamweight division remains the gift that keeps on giving. It
seems like every card has an excellent bout between two rising
talents, and this one is no exception. Simon has had an impressive
climb on the 135-pound ladder, breaking through where others may
have plateaued. Simon made his UFC debut in 2018 and rattled off
three straight wins, mostly on the back of wild aggression. After
he suffered two straight losses—a stunning knockout against
Urijah
Faber and a more prolonged beating against Rob Font—it
seemed like Simon would be an excellent action fighter and nothing
more. However, since the UFC’s pandemic break in 2020, Simon has
retooled and looked much better in the process. He is still an
absolute wildman at heart, but there is now some actual thought to
when Simon picks and chooses his moments to strike, making him much
less vulnerable and much more effective. Admittedly, Simon’s
competition has not been the most dangerous during this
run—Brian
Kelleher has some exploitable holes in his game, and Raphael
Assuncao appears to clearly be past his prime—but there is a
much higher ceiling for the Washington native than previously
thought heading into this pairing. Shore has been a pleasant
surprise thus far, though the Welshman came to the UFC with a
rightful amount of hype. For a fighter still in his mid-20s,
Shore’s game stood out just for how well it was put together. Even
going back to his UFC debut at age 24, “Tank” exhibited a solid
process of allowing his striking to lead to the wrestling and
grappling phases where Shore is at his best. The main worry for
Shore was how he would hold up as an athlete—living up to his
nickname, he is strong but can be slow at times—but so far, that
has not been an issue. Hunter
Azure and Timur
Valiev each gave Shore some tough moments, but he gutted
through both men and walked away with decision victories. This
feels like where that ends, however. Simon appears to be the most
effective wrestler Shore has faced in the UFC to date, and that
figures to be the most crucial factor for the Welshman in a fight
that should be full of head-on clashes. Even if Shore can
outwrestle Simon, it seems unlikely that he can control this fight
for long, at which point the American should have the advantage as
the quicker and harder hitter who only seems to be improving. Shore
has continued to overachieve, so it would not necessarily be a
shock if he took this one, but it would be a particularly
impressive bit of business. The pick is Simon via decision.
UFC News & Features
