[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] is excited for the chance to run things back with the man that handed him his first pro loss.
Price (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) will face [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] at UFC 249, a rematch from their first outing in 2017, when Luque (17-7-1 MMA, 10-3 UFC) scored a second-round submission over the American at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo.
The coronavirus outbreak caused the cancellation of three events, including UFC on ESPN+ 30, where Price was scheduled to face Muslim Salikhov. But after both he and Luque lost their initial opponents, they were matched up together, giving Price an even bigger opportunity.
“No offense to Muslim, but yes, this is the better fight,” Price told MMA Junkie. “This is a blessing for me. I get to break into the top 15. If I win this fight, now I’m in there so it’s gonna be great.
“If you’re competitive, then that’s your dream. Someone beats you, and you get to go in there and fight him again. I’m so stoked, it’s going to be a great fight. He’s a good guy, I’m a good guy, and we both go in there and fight hard.”
Price has had moments of brilliance in the octagon as of late, including only the second up-kick knockout in UFC history, over James Vick last October. He also said he has made a lot of changes since the first fight with Luque, with plenty of lessons learned along the way.
“I got different coaches now, I got a different mindset now,” he said. “I’m back to the old, ‘Get in there and, yeah, you’re going to get punched, and I’m going to grind through, and punch through you so I’m just ready for war.’
“He got the better of me the first time over in Brazil, but I had some complications in that fight. But that’s all good. That was just because I was young and dumb. The complications were my fault. I put myself in the situation that I wasn’t feeling good after. Just rookie mistakes. I’m seasoned now, I feel much better, I’m way smarter, I’m just more confident. It’s gonna be a great fight. Don’t blink!”