With that out of the way, it’s back to this weekend’s meeting with Faber, who will be back in action for the first time since he retired after a win over Brad Pickett in 2016. “The California Kid” hasn’t been out of the spotlight over the last couple years, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when he announced his return. But the fact that he accepted a fight with a hungry rising star like Simon did raise a few eyebrows.

“I heard some rumblings that he wanted to come out of retirement, and I threw my name in the hat by speaking up on Instagram and Twitter,” said Simon. “But I was pretty surprised when they gave me the call because it is a Hall of Famer and I would think Urijah Faber would come back against another veteran or someone with a bigger name, but this is gonna be a tough fight for him and I respect that he’s coming back and is up for the challenge.”

That respect is amped up even more by Faber’s willingness to battle Simon and not an “easier” foe.

“You get these guys, and especially in our sport, that like to pick and choose, and I feel like he’s out to prove that he still has what it takes,” Simon said. “He must still see something in himself to where he thinks he can compete with the best. So I definitely respect that, but once that door locks, all that respect’s going out the window and I’m gonna try and knock him out.”

A win for Simon would be the defining one in a career that is already progressing at a nice clip. The 26-year-old from Vancouver is 15-1 as a pro with three Octagon wins without a loss, but a name like Faber is a lot different than those of Merab Dvalishvili, Montel Jackson and Rani Yahya at the moment in terms of public perception, and Simon knows it.

“I believe he (Faber) was ranked seventh when he fought Brad Pickett before he retired,” said Simon. “I was in the rankings and got pushed out because there’s so much activity in our weight class, but what I really think this fight is gonna do is push my name, and that’s what I need. I feel like I’ve been beating the prospects, beating the vets, but I’m still not as well known as I feel I should be. So I feel like that’s where this fight is really gonna help me. It’s gonna push me into being a household name.”