Ricky Simon

He repeatedly says he does not know who to pick and that his "opinion may change" (quote <=5wd), plus the root-beer idiom used alone for a fight he calls crazy to call.

A forward-pressing boxer with real power behind fundamentally simple combinations, who the analyst stresses should not be mistaken as bad for being basic. He is a strong, high-volume wrestler, if a little inconsistent about committing to his game plan, who blends ground-and-pound with submission attempts once he gets on top.

surprised by odds, wavering

A good forward-moving striker with basic combinations and plenty of power, though clearly the less polished boxer of this pairing. His path to winning is the grappling: a good volume and arsenal of takedowns, strong control once on top, and a willingness to blend ground-and-pound with submission attempts to set one up with the other. Cardio is a strength -- he can push three or five rounds without fading. The analyst notes both he and his opponent have had a rough recent run, even while facing good competition.

his own words: he calls it "an absolute coin flip"

A good striker built on forward pressure, real power and simple, effective combinations rather than technical flash -- called less clean than Barcelos but more durable if the two trade. Grappling is graded solid: really good wrestling, a good volume and mixed arsenal of takedowns, strong control once the fight hits the mat, and a willingness to finish via blended ground-and-pound and submissions. His cardio is spoken of well but not re-graded with a ladder word this time.

Gives a real mechanism for the pick (getting takedowns and winning minutes even after scrambles back up), but surrounds it with an explicit outcome hedge -- he calls it a tough matchup, says either man is live to win, and repeats 'tough fight' twice at the very end -- so the grade is demoted from clear to lean.

Decent, forward-moving striker running basic combinations, but his real weapon standing is power described as hitting much harder than his opponent, which is said to offset any skill gap. On the mat he is a solid grappler: he has lowered how often he shoots but still has good variety in his takedown options, controls well, actively hunts the finish, and blends ground-and-pound with submission attempts; cardio is praised as great.

Expects Basharat to edge a decision on movement and landing, but says he is surer it goes the distance than that Basharat wins it, does not trust the line either way, and plans to watch with a root beer.

A 20-6 fighter on a three-fight losing run against tough opposition, though the analyst reads it as a setback and notes a win over the division's current champion. Striking is decent: forward pressure and power backed by a wrestling threat, but less technical than his opponent. He is a solid wrestler with good takedowns in high volume from several angles, good top control and a relentless cycle of ground strikes and submission attempts. Cardio is great. Coming forward can win rounds on optics, but he is expected to back up Basharat for long stretches without landing enough.

States the win plainly ('bank at least two rounds...we're going Ricky Simone'); only hedge is on how much the leg kicks might wear him down, a risk note, not a win hedge.

Our read: a wrestling-first fighter who uses modest striking mainly to set up the clinch and takedown. High-volume, option-rich takedowns with strong top control, and a ground-and-pound-to-submission cycle he moves between without getting stuck on either. Decent, not pretty, striking backed by forward pressure and real power, with the wrestling threat itself making the striking work. Analyst calls Oliveira the better pure striker and expects Simon to win by taking the fight to the mat.

'I feel great about it', 'leaps and bounds better', repeated 'I think he's gonna get it done', and a specific scorecard prediction (30-27) -- the only hedge is on how the late rounds look ('I think Bautista's going to hang in there'), a round/method hedge, not an outcome hedge.

Coming off a loss to a clearly higher-level opponent, which this matchup is treated as a drop back down from. Wrestling is his calling card: high-volume, very good takedowns, strong control, and he actively hunts a finish by cycling ground-and-pound into submission attempts and back into ground-and-pound rather than sitting on one look. Striking is set up by that wrestling threat, with good forward pressure and power of his own. Picked with real conviction to control the fight and sweep the cards.

The commitment verb sits only at the literal end of the chapter, past an earlier, more conclusive-sounding clause: he calls Simon 'definitely the pick' and says he can 'feel pretty good about it', then the next segment restates the same man as a probable decision winner. He names the opponent's camp/wrestling-training context and fan sentiment, then answers both rather than leaving them hanging.

A strong, high-volume wrestler with forward pressure and an enormous takedown toolbox, backed by very strong top control and a repeating finishing sequence (ground-and-pound into submission attempts and back again) rather than stalling on one approach. Cardio is called fantastic, able to go deep without fading. His own striking is credited as powerful with a decent, improved defense, and the threat of the takedown is said to open his striking up further. He has faced good competition, including one notable past upset win, though not uniformly the very top level the opponent has faced.