UFC 249: Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
The first time these two men fought it was a battle, and their rematch was no different.
When [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] submitted [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] in 2017, it kick started an incredible six-fight unbeaten run for the Brazilian. But, after running into Stephen Thompson, it was back to the drawing board for Luque, who ended up drawing Price one more time at UFC 249.
While booking the rematch may have been a little unexpected, few complained due to the fan friendly nature of the matchup. The fight certainly didn’t disappoint.
Luque threw some hard inside leg kicks that had Price off balance early, but Price was able to counter well with the overhand right. Both men threw leather, and Price connected with a beautiful front kick to the face, followed by a flurry and a takedown against the fence. Luque got right back up, stunning Price with a big right hand at the sound of the Round 1 horn.
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In Round 2, Luque started finding a home for his right hand, briefly dropping Price with a counter right. He continued to effectively work the calf kicks, slowing Price’s movement down. Price was starting to wear the damage on his face, stacking Luque against the fence to try and stifle his offense.
Price pushed a furious pace in Round 3, throwing some hard leg kicks, which forced Luque to switch stances. Both men continued to exchange violently in the pocket until Luque dropped Price with a big left hook.
After Luque let Price up, referee Jason Herzog called a timeout to have the doctor check on Price’s eye, which was completely swollen shut. It didn’t take long for the doctor to decide that Price shouldn’t continue.
It was another incredible performance by Luque against a very tough and game competitor in Price, who showed no quit and never stopped pressing forward.
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