Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon added to UFC 234 in Australia

Ricky Simon will meet jiu-jitsu specialist Rani Yahya at UFC 234 on Feb. 9 in Melbourne, Australia. MMA Fighting confirmed the booking with multiple sources following a report by Combate.

Simon (14-1) was originally slated to face Ricardo Ramos on Nov. 10, but was left hanging without an opponent after “Carcacinha” suffered an injury. Winner of seven in a row, the former LFA bantamweight champion defeated Merab Dvalishvili and Montel Jackson under the UFC banner in 2018.

Yahya (26-9, 1 no-contest) is one of the most dangerous grapplers in mixed martial arts and looks to score his fourth straight victory after submitting Henry Briones, Russell Doane and Luke Sanders in his most recent UFC appearances. Yahya has won seven of his last eight since cutting back down to 135 pounds.

UFC 234 will take place at Rod Laver Arena and features Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the middleweight championship in the main event. Legendary middleweight Anderson Silva faces rising star Israel Adesanya in the co-main event slot.