After UFC Sacramento Win, Benito Lopez Wants 'Rival' Ricky Simon Next

Benito Lopez got back into the win column at UFC Sacramento, and he already has his next opponent in mind.

Although it was a close fight, "The Golden Boy" knew he had won the decision against Vince Morales. Now, the 25-year-old has his eyes set on fighting Ricky Simon, whom he considers a rival. The two were originally slated to meet at UFC 227 in 2018, but Lopez was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.

"It is whoever they give me. Of course, I have always wanted to fight Ricky Simon. We were supposed to fight three times and something has always happened," Lopez said to Sherdog.com. "He has proven himself in the UFC so I understand if I don't get that fight, but I would like to fight him."

Why Lopez thinks the fight could happen is the fact that he just beat Simon’s cousin in Morales, so he may want to get that one back for his family. Add in the fact that Lopez doesn't like how the 26-year-old acts when he talks about him, and you have a potentially exciting matchmaking opportunity.

"I have said it before, I consider him a rival. The fight always fell through, but it something I wanted. He has talked smack, and I just fought his cousin. It is true beef," he explained. "It is organic, like I don’t hate him, but he has said things that I want to make him pay for. He runs his mouth a little too much."

In the end, Lopez is eyeing a return at UFC San Francisco in October, but would wait until later if that meant he gets to fight Simon.