Javid Basharat | ‘The Snow Leopard’ Returns
changed so much — Merab wasn’t champion and all this, now he’s the champion.’ The dynamic has changed a lot, but I get it because one fight can change a lot.
“I go out and knock out Ricky, that’s it — nobody ever remembers that loss because that’s how the sport goes; you’re only as good as your last one,” continued Basharat, who earned wins over Trevin Jones, Tony Gravely, and Mateus Mendonca in his first three trips into the Octagon. “Rob Font is a guy that everybody thought was on his way out, Kyler Phillips was a guy everyone thought was on his way up, and then Rob just went out, beat Kyler, and all that’s done.
“But Kyler has a win over Song (Yadong), so you see what I’m getting at?” he added. “This game is such that one fight changes everything.”
And he believes his bout with Simon could be the one that changes things for him as he begins his 2025 campaign on Saturday.
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“Ricky is a very good fighter; he’s only lost to good fighters himself, and he has some really good wins over some very good fighters,” he said of his opponent this weekend, who maintained a residence in the Top 15 for a couple years before his current three-fight slide resulted in him losing his place in the exclusive community. “I could never look past Ricky.
“It’s a name that excites me; it’s not somebody new. Ultimately, the name doesn’t matter and you’ve got to go out there and do your thing, but the human element does come into play a little bit; there is extra motivation fighting Ricky because he’s had a decent career in the UFC, he’s fought some good names, and I know where I match up.
“I see… I see…,” he continued hesitantly, searching for the words when asked how he envisions his return to action playing out this weekend. “Honestly, I see domination everywhere; I don’t feel like he’s even close to me.
“He’s gonna try to make it a dogfight, but I’ve prepared for everything, every scenario.”
