Report: Ricky Simón to face top prospect Vinicius Oliveira at UFC 303

UFC bantamweight contender Ricky Simón will reportedly face the surging Vinicius Oliveira on one of the biggest cards of the year.

Simón vs. Oliveira has been added to UFC 303 on June 29th in Las Vegas. Ag.Fight was the first to report the news of the targeted UFC 303 booking.

Oliveira will face a steep climb in competition after winning his UFC debut on March 2nd against short-notice opponent Benardo Sopaj. A win over Simón, who as of this writing is listed at #15 in the UFC rankings, could earn him a Top 15 spot.

Oliveira earned a shot in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series last year. His win over Sopaj was his third consecutive win overall.

Ricky Simón vs. Vinicius Oliveira added to UFC 303

BREAKING! UFC encaminha Vinicius Lokdog vs Ricky Simon para o UFC 303

— Ag. Fight (@AgFight) April 26, 2024

Simón has been a UFC bantamweight mainstay since his promotional debut against Merab Dvalishvili in April 2018. He won his first three UFC fights before back-to-back defeats against Rob Font and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Simón has traded wins and losses during his UFC career, earning recent wins over Brian Kelleher and Raphael Assunção. But, he’s lost two fights in a row at present, against surging contenders Mario Bautista and Song Yadong.

Simón will look to make a statement against Oliveira. A victory over a surging bantamweight like Oliveira could get him back into the crowded title mix at 135lbs.

Oliveira popped on the UFC’s radar with a long, successful tenure in UAE Warriors. He went 5-1 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts.

UFC 303 is expected to be one of the biggest cards of 2024 with Conor McGregor’s highly-anticipated return headlining the event. McGregor and Michael Chandler will square off in a welterweight main event.

The co-main event features a light heavyweight matchup between top contenders Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree. The card also features the returns of Mayra Bueno Silva, Joe Pyfer, and Cub Swanson.