Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price at UFC 290: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Robbie Lawler’s first-round knockout win over Niko Price in his retirement fight at UFC 290 in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] in his retirement fight at UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 290 video: Full pre-fight press conference faceoffs

Check out the full UFC 290 pre-fight press conference faceoffs from Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Stars of UFC 290 came face-to-face for the first time on fight week Thursday following the pre-fight press conference.

With the 11th annual International Fight Week festivities ramping into high gear, fighters took the stage to answer questions from the media and then faced off for the first time ahead of the event which takes place at T-Mobile Arena and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag], interim featherweight champion [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag], flyweight champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag], [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag], [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], [autotag]Val Woodburn[/autotag], [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] and [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] participated in the press conference, and then faced off with their opponent.

Watch the video above to see the full faceoffs ahead of UFC 290.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

‘Legend-getter’ Niko Price ready to ruin Robbie Lawler’s retirement fight at UFC 290

Niko Price thinks the best way to show Robbie Lawler respect in his retirement fight is by sending him out on a loss at UFC 290.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] thinks the best way to show Robbie Lawler respect in his retirement fight is by sending him out on a loss.

Former UFC champ Lawler (29-16 MMA, 14-10 UFC) is set to walk away from the sport following Saturday’s welterweight bout with Price (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC 290 from T-Mobile Arena. It serves as the featured prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+ prior to the pay-per-view main card.

It’s always a tricky assignment for the opponent booked against an all-time great when they say farewell to MMA, but for Price, it’s not exactly a new situation. He fought Donald Cerrone at the tail end of his UFC tenure, as well, so he’s comfortable in this spot.

“It’s just another fight,” Price told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 290 media day. “I’ve got to fight a few legends. It’s nothing new to me. He’s an opponent, and I’m going to try to get in there and punch him in the head.”

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No matter the storylines going into UFC 290, this is a critical fight in Price’s career. He has just one win in his past five octagon appearances dating back to May 2020 and is under some pressure to get the job done to maintain good standing in the promotion.

It’s also important for Price to be in a position to keep getting assignments like the one with Lawler. He greatly enjoys facing the biggest and best names in MMA, and if he wants more opportunities, he needs to prove a point.

“If a ranking comes I’m not crying, but I want to fight all the legends,” Price said. “I want to be the legend getter, not the legend killer. I just want to get in there with all of them. Who knows what’s next? Only God knows the answer to that question. But I’m ready for any of them.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

Video: ‘UFC 290: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez’ media day interviews

Before UFC 290 on Saturday, the title-fight competitors, main card and more are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC returns to “Sin City” on Saturday for UFC 290, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Before fight night arrives, though, the main card and featured prelim athletes spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each media day.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

UFC 290 pre-event facts: Alexander Volkanovski can score rare type of title defense

Check out the most notable UFC 290 pre-event facts as champ Alexander Volkanovski returns to 145 pounds after losing to Islam Makhachev.

The UFC’s 11th annual International Fight Week festivities are upon us, all of which concludes Saturday with UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

A tentpole of the UFC’s yearly schedule features two championship fights at the top of the bill. In the main event, [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meet in a featherweight championship unification bout, while in the co-headliner, flyweight [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (21-6-2 MMA, 9-2-2 UFC) takes on streaking challenger [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] (25-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind both title fights, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC 290.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 17-23)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 17-23.

UFC 290 adds Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price, Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner

UFC International Fight Week continues to stack up with Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price and Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner.

International Fight Week keeps getting bigger.

Friday, UFC president Dana White announced the additions of [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]. The bouts will take place July 8 as part of UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Lawler (29-16 MMA, 14-10 UFC) will be inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame earlier in the week for his UFC 189 battle against Rory MacDonald. In the bout, he’ll look to get back in the win column after five losses in his most recent six outings.

Price (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) is 1-3 with one no contest in his most recent five fights. He most recently competed in December when he was finished by Philip Rowe in a wild brawl.

Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) and Turner (13-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) were scheduled to fight at UFC 285 in March. However, Hooker withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Mateusz Gamrot, who then defeated Turner by split decision.

The latest UFC 290 lineup now includes:

  • Alexander Volkanovski vs. Yair Rodriguez – for featherweight title
  • Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – for flyweight title
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Manel Kape
  • Dricus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price
  • Dan Hooker vs. Jalin Turner
  • Tresean Gore vs. Bo Nickal

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.

UFC on ESPN 42 post-event facts: Rafael dos Anjos first to reach 8-hour fight time milestone

Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in history to log eight hours of octagon fight time in his win at UFC on ESPN 42.

The UFC returned to Orlando, Fla., for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC on ESPN 42, which took place at Amway Center and saw nine out of 14 fights end in a stoppage.

Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned the most memorable result of all in the main event. The longtime welterweight contender went to war with Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC). He emerged on top by fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage and netted another Fight of the Night award in the process.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC on ESPN 42 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: A record for non-PPV card

UFC on ESPN 42 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ORLANDO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $297,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 42 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 42 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-42 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,932,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,109,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

Phil Rowe def. Niko Price at UFC on ESPN 42: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Phil Rowe’s third-round TKO win over Niko Price at UFC on ESPN 42.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]’s third-round TKO win over [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports)