Waterford MMA fighter Solomon Simon honoured with Mayoral Reception
Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr Seamus Ryan held a reception for Solomon Simon, in recognition of him being crowned Cage Warriors Featherweight World Champion. Photo: Joe Evans
Waterford MMA fighter Solomon Simon was honoured with a mayoral reception in City Hall on Friday, January 9, commemorating his crowning as the Cage Warriors World Featherweight Champion.
Simon currently holds a record of 7-0 in professional MMA. He beat Brazilian Vincente Araujo in November 2025 to claim the division belt.
Simon is scheduled to defend his title against Nik Bagley at the RDS in Dublin on February 21.
Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Seamus Ryan said: “Solomon is proudly Nigerian-Irish and hails from Ballybeg here in Waterford.
“He is a great example of the talent, diversity and determination that exists in our community, and a reminder of the positive stories that come from hard work and opportunity.
“Those of you who know Solomon will also know Solomon as a grounded, humble and hardworking individual.
Speaking to the , Simon said the reaction to his title win has “been amazing”.
“I just have to do the work so I don’t have to pay too much attention to what’s going on, but once I got that win, and seeing how much support came out, I was surprised people were even aware of the sport.
“The last month or so has been hectic but good. My goal from the start has always been the same, I’m aiming as high as I can go in the sport, and that would be the UFC - that would be the biggest stage to display myself.
“I’m doing this purely not to be like ‘oh I’m this tough guy’. This sport itself brings growth to you in so many different ways…the way I approach life, the discipline it gives you.
“Getting to the UFC is the next aim, but to get there we have to get through what’s in front of us, we get through February, we get through whatever comes next…every step I take I get closer to that goal.”
The reception was packed to the brim with Simon's friends and family, training partners at Team Ryano (Simon's MMA team) and delegates from Cage Warriors.
Cage Warriors is an Irish-owned MMA promotion based in London. The organisation has previously acted as a springboard for Conor McGregor and UFC Welterweight contender Paddy Pimblett.
