Tag: Niko Price

Dana White: UFC to return May 9; Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, other title fights on tap

The UFC is eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined, but a blockbuster lineup in mind.

The UFC may be back sooner than anticipated.

When UFC president Dana White canceled UFC 249, he also postponed all subsequent events indefinitely due to restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as well as a request to stand down by the UFC’s broadcast partners at ESPN and Disney. However, the promotion is now eying a May 9 return, with an event at a location to be determined.

Tuesday, MMA Junkie confirmed the UFC’s considered plans with a person with knowledge of the situation. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting was the first to report the plans.

Dana White later informed ESPN the promotion is looking to rebook various big fights that were delayed by the schedule change, including [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC 249), [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] (originally in the works to headline UFC 250), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Felicia Spencer[/autotag] (originally set to co-headline UFC 250), and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (originally set to headline UFC on ESPN 8).

Upon announcing the cancellation and postponements, White promised the UFC would be the first sporting organization to return to normalcy – whether it be on a mysterious “Fight Island” he said the company is currently constructing, or elsewhere.

“We will be the first sport back,” White said. “‘Fight Island’ is real. It’s a real thing. The infrastructure is being built right now, and that’s really going to happen. It will be on ESPN.”

If the event isn’t scheduled for “Fight Island,” the state of Florida could be another potential location for the UFC to hold the May 9 card. In a press release issued Monday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis revealed some sporting events, including WWE, will be deemed essential businesses.

It’s unknown if Tachi Palace Casino in Lemore, Calif. could be in the cards, as well. The Indian reservation casino was targeted to be the new home of UFC 249 on April 18, prior to ESPN and Disney executives asking the UFC to cancel the event entirely.

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Prior to the announcement of postponements, the UFC had 11 events publicly on tap: UFC 249 (April 18 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 31 (April 25 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC on ESPN+ 32 (May 2 in Lemore, Calif.), UFC 250 (May 9 at Location TBD), UFC on ESPN+ 33 (May 16 in San Diego), UFC 251 (June 6 in Perth, Australia), UFC Kazakhstan (June 13 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakstan), UFC Saskatoon (June 20 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), UFC Austin (June 27 in Austin, Texas), UFC 252 (July 11 in Las Vegas), and UFC Dublin (Aug. 15 in Dublin, Ireland).

The status of all above events are currently unknown.

According to ESPN, the proposed May 9 event includes the following lineup:

  • Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
  • Champ Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz – for bantamweight title
  • Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer – for women’s featherweight title
  • Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michelle Waterson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bryce Mitchell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]

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Niko Price blessed for opportunity to avenge loss to Vicente Luque, break into top 15

Niko Price is excited for the opportunity to run things back with the man that handed him his first pro loss.

[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!”

Revamped UFC 249 lineup features Andrade-Namajunas 2, Ngannou-Rozenstruik, more

Not quite the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.

It might not fit Dana White’s description as the “baddest ever card in MMA history,” but the revamped UFC 249 lineup certainly has some fights of significance.

With the coronavirus pandemic impacting the sports world as a whole, the UFC was not immune. The promotion postponed three events but remained focused on hosting UFC 249 on April 18, even after travel restrictions were implemented around the globe and lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov – who was supposed to fight [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] in the main event – fell off the card.

Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) now meets [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) for the interim lightweight title in the headliner, but the UFC still has not announced an official location, although broadcast partner ESPN reported on Sunday that a venue on the West Coast is close to being finalized.

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The situation has caused UFC matchmakers to shuffle the deck from the original UFC 249 lineup meant for Brooklyn, N.Y. Some fights have fallen off, while others were added.

UFC officials announced on Monday that the strawweight rematch between former champions [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will remain as the co-main event, and a heavyweight fight between [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) – who were originally booked for UFC on ESPN 8 on March 28 – have been added to the main card.

Other notable matchups include: [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-17 MMA, 15-16 UFC) at featherweight; [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (15-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) vs. [autotag]Ronaldo Souza[/autotag] (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at middleweight; and [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Yorgan De Castro[/autotag] (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at heavyweight.

The broadcast plans are unknown, but the latest UFC 249 lineup includes:

  • Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Rose Namajunas
  • Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
  • [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
  • Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
  • [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khama Worthy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sam Alvey[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag]

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Niko Price says he’s signed new four-fight contract with the UFC

According to UFC welterweight Niko Price, he won’t be going anywhere for a while, as he’s signed a new contract.

According to UFC welterweight [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag], he won’t be going anywhere for awhile.

In a tweet posted Saturday, Price (14-3 MMA, 6-3) announced he’s signed a new four-fight deal with the promotion. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“BREAKING NEWS!!! I forgot to mention I signed a new 4 fight contract,” Price said. “I’m so blessed and thankful for the @ufc! I’ll be sure to keep it entertaining for you guys!”

A member of the UFC roster since December 2016, Price has racked up the wins – and the finishes – in his 10-fight promotional stint. He holds four performance bonuses (all for ‘Performance of the Night’).

Over the span of his most recent six outings, Price has gone 4-2 with finishes over George Sullivan, Randy Brown, Tim Means, and James Vick. Under the UFC’s banner, Price has accumulated an extensive highlight reel. He holds victories via upkick and hammerfists from his back.

Prior to the promotion’s postponement of UFC on ESPN+ 30, Price was expected to face Muslim Salikhov (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at the April 11 event in Portland, Ore.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was briefly moved to the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. However, the card was later postponed along with UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC on ESPN 8.

No rescheduled date has been announced at this time.

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Niko Price vs. Muslim Salikhov added to UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Portland

A matchup between two welterweight finishers, Niko Price and Muslim Salikhov, is the latest addition to UFC Portland.

A matchup between two welterweight finishers is the latest addition to UFC Portland.

[autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) will take on [autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in Portland. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report from ESPN.

UFC on ESPN+ 30 takes place April 11 at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. The card is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Price has split his last four appearances but has picked up two performance bonuses with knockout wins over Tim Means and James Vick. He has finished all six of his UFC wins.

Salikhov is also a proven finisher, having only gone the distance twice in his MMA career. Since dropping his UFC debut in 2017, Salikhov has won his last three in a row, including back-to-back knockouts over Ricky Rainey and Nordine Taleb.

With the addition, the current UFC on ESPN+ 30 lineup includes:

  • Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris
  • Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
  • Carla Esparza vs. Michelle Waterson
  • Tristan Connelly vs. Alex Silva
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Alessio Di Chirico vs. Markus Perez
  • Julia Avila vs. Karol Rosa
  • Niko Price vs. Muslim Salikhov

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UFC in 2019: A ridiculously robust look at the stats, streaks, skids and record-setters

A full recap of 2019’s most significant footnotes and milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

Now that the year has come to a close, and with a major assist from UFC research analyst and live statistics producers Michael Carroll, here are some of 2019’s most significant milestones from the events, the fights and individual performances.

* * * *

EVENTS

Octagon girls at UFC 238

The UFC held 42 events in 39 different cities across 15 countries and five continents.

Within those events, there were 516 fights across 13 different weight classes (including catchweight bouts).

Those 516 fights combined for a total cage time of 94:59:04.

The longest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN+ 19: Joanna vs. Waterson” in Tampa, Fla., at 2:57:27. It was the second longest in company history behind “UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura” (3:04:18).

The shortest event of the year was “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” in Minneapolis at 1:38:12.

“UFC on ESPN+ 13: de Randamie vs. Ladd” featured 62 seconds of total fight time in the main and co-main event, the single-event record in company history.

At those events, the UFC drew an announced total attendance of 548,023 for a live gate total of $61,050,133.74 (Note: Live gate was not announced for 11 events; no attendance was revealed for one event).

The highest reported attended event of the year was “UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya” in Melbourne (57,127), which was the all-time company record, while the lowest attended event was “UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren” in Singapore (7,155).

The highest reported income gate of the year was “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” in New York ($6,575,996.19) while the lowest reported income gate of the year went to “UFC on ESPN+ 4: Lewis vs. Dos Santos” in Wichita, Kan. ($636,417.26).

In 2019, 168 fight-night bonuses were given out for a sum of $8.4 million.

In 2019, athletes were paid $7,370,500 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance money.

The most knockouts at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos,” “UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz” and “UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington” with seven each.

Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes

“UFC 238: Cejudo vs. Moraes” featured a total of 1,818 significant strikes landed, a new single-event record. UFC 231 held the previous high with 1,647.

The most submissions at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler” with five.

The most fights to go to a decision at a single event went to “UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” with 10.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” featured nine consecutive decision results, tied for the single-event UFC record.

“UFC on ESPN 4: Dos Anjos vs. Edwards” started with nine consecutive decision results, the single-event record.

“UFC on ESPN 7: Overeem vs. Rozenstruik” marked the third event in company history to feature two draws. UFC 22 and UFC 216 were the others.

Betting favorites went 319-182. Fifteen fights ended in a draw, no contest or had even odds.

Betting favorites went 22-18 in event headliners. Two fights ended in a no contest or had even odds.

“UFC on ESPN 3: Ngannou vs. Dos Santos” and “UFC on ESPN+ 22: Blachowicz vs. Jacare” had the most favorites come through victorious, with 10 each. On the flip side, seven underdogs won at three separate events.

Aspen Ladd

A total of 30 fighters officially missed weight for their respective contests. The 28 fighters in that group to compete went 10-17-1 in their respective bouts.

A total of 135 fighters made their UFC debut in 2019. Those fighters went 57-74-2 with two no contests. Debuting fighters who faced an opponent with at least one bout of UFC experience went 43-58-2 with two no contests.

A variety of circumstances caused a total of 19 UFC main event or co-main event fights to be adjusted, postponed or canceled entirely.

One entire event was canceled (UFC 233 in January in Anaheim, Calif.)

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MMA Junkie’s 2019 ‘Knockout of the Year’: Jorge Masvidal’s flying knee

Here are the top five honorable mentions and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best knockouts from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Year” award for 2019.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice for “Knockout of the Year.”

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Honorable mentions

6. Niko Price def. James Vick at UFC on ESPN+ 19

Known for his creative violence, [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) did not disappoint in his welterweight matchup against James Vick (13-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in October, scoring a knockout with a rarely-successful technique at the top level.

After absorbing some hard shots from Vick on the canvas, Price improvised and sent his foot toward the chin of Vick. A bone-chilling thud sounded as his foot hit Vick flush on the face. Vick’s bloody, unconscious body crumpled onto Price, who landed a few short shots to his already out opponent, and the fight was stopped in less than two minutes.

5. Douglas Lima def. Michael Page at Bellator 221

[autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) respected Michael Page (17-1 MMA, 13-1 BMMA) in the lead-up to their Bellator welterweight grand prix semifinal matchup in May, but the former two-time champion felt strongly that his experience and striking power would make a difference, and he was right.

Lima gave “MVP” a rude welcome to a new level of competition when he scored an absolutely sickening knockout to make the grand prix final. The Brazilian set it up when he dropped Page with a perfectly timed low kick. As Page attempted to stand up, Lima uncorked a beautiful left hand that landed clean and brought an end to Page’s unbeaten run in MMA.

4. Davy Gallon def. Ross Pearson at “MTK MMA: Probellum”

Ross Pearson (20-17) had a rude welcome back to MMA from his retirement courtesy of the unheralded [autotag]Davy Gallon[/autotag] (18-7-2), who in November delivered what could go down as an all-time knockout to occur outside of a major organization.

The lightweight fight was relatively competitive for more than two rounds. In the closing stages of the third, though, Gallon went airborne and unleashed a rolling thunder kick. The heel landed flush on Pearson’s face, and “The Ultimate Fighter 9” winner was immediately knocked out in a shocking finish.

3. Valentina Shevchenko def. Jessica Eye at UFC 238

[autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) got her UFC women’s flyweight title reign off to a good start in June, when she made an example of overmatched challenger Jessica Eye (15-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) with a brutal knockout.

Shevchenko kept her firm grip on the 125-pound strap when, as one of the biggest betting favorites in UFC title history, “The Bullet” delivered a highlight-reel head kick knockout of Eye in the second round of the contest. Eye was down on the canvas for quite some time after the kick connected, but fortunately came out OK.

2. Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson at UFC on ESPN+ 6

Former UFC and WEC lightweight champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (22-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) made a splash in his welterweight debut in March when he upset former title challenger Stephen Thompson (15-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) with a brutal knockout.

After getting picked apart and bloodied for the majority of two rounds, Pettis showed his trademark “Showtime” creativity when he bounced off the octagon fence and proceeded to take off with a superman hook punch that caught Thompson completely off guard and put his lights out for the first time in his career.

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Winner: Jorge Masvidal def. Ben Askren at UFC 239

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The most hyped grudge match heading into UFC 239 in July ended in the fastest and perhaps most violent knockout in the history of the UFC.

Veteran welterweight [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) used a hellacious flying knee coming out of the gate to knock Ben Askren (19-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) cold.

The time of the stoppage officially was at the 0:05 mark of the opening round. That beat, by one-second, Duane Ludwig’s record, set in a victory over Jonathan Goulet in 2006.

“I really wanted to beat his ass for 14 minutes and 30 seconds, but it didn’t happen, so back to business,” Masvidal said.

Masvidal, with his hands behind his back, came out at an odd angle and charged at Askren, who attempted to duck under it.

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Instead, the knee landed flush on Askren’s ear, knocking him stiff to the mat. Masvidal landed two more punches to the clearly unconscious Askren before the referee could step in and wave things off.

Masvidal taunted Askren as doctors rushed into the cage to attend to his foe, with whom he had engaged in quite a bit of trash talk leading up to the fight.

“That dude was talking wild, man,” Masvidal said. “I have to show you there’s consequences sometimes, there’s some bad (expletive) out there.”

The victory was by far the biggest in the career of Masvidal, a longtime presence on the scene who is finally breaking through to the top. It also marked the first career loss for Askren, the former Bellator and ONE welterweight titleholder. After regaining consciousness, Askren left the cage under his own power.

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