Niko Price has a new knee and he’s ready to put it to use at UFC Orlando after 14 months away. “The Hybrid” makes his return in his home-state of Florida and is “excited” to get back to work in the welterweight division.
Price (15-5-0) will be facing fellow First Round Management client Phil Rowe (9-3-0) on the preliminary card as the promotion returns to Orlando for the first time since 2018. It will be Price’s first action since he faced Alex Oliveira last October, a fight he won by unanimous decision despite blowing out his knee. Now facing Rowe, Price admits it is interesting to fight a teammate, but he didn’t have a choice.
“Yeah, once I saw his name, I was like, ‘I know Phil, but I can’t turn a fight down right now, so, whoever they offer, I say yes. I have to say yes,’” he told All Access MMA earlier this month, “there’s no turning anything down. Like, I haven’t fought in a year. I’ve gotta get an income coming in again, and yeah, Phil was a good opponent. I know Phil, I’ve got nothing against Phil. Let’s go make some paper Phil! That’s all I can say, is ‘let’s make some money buddy’.”
Niko Price Returns to The Octagon After 14 Months
Chasing a paycheck, “The Hybrid” feels good after battling ongoing injuries that ultimately took him out of The Octagon for the last year. The fight with Olveira resulted in an LCL tear, and doctors discovered in the process Price had previously torn his ACL and MCL but hadn’t been treated. That set him up for a long road to recovery.
“It went great, it was a blessing,” Price of his rehab and camp to prepare for Rowe. “I’ve been cleared for the last, like, two months, three months, and I’ve been training pretty hard the whole time because I just push the limits because I’m weird. The knee feels great, everything feels great, and I’m just excited to get back in there and fight somebody again and glorify God on the mic.”
While he could’ve possibly taken a fight sooner, Price likes the opportunity to make his return in his backyard, fighting at UFC Orlando, three hours away from his home in Fort Meyers, Florida.
“You can’t miss an opportunity in your hometown or in your home-state. I haven’t fought in Florida since I fought Vicente (Luque) last in, like, May in 2019. So, I want to fight in Florida again. Every chance they put a Florida card there, I’ll wait for it.”
Niko Price on Fighting Phil Rowe
Price lost that fight with Luque in Jacksonville by doctor’s stoppage and looks to have a better showing against Rowe. “The Fresh Prince” is 2-1 in the promotion since joining the roster in 2021. After losing his first fight by unanimous decision, Rowe has won his last two fights, both by second-round knockout stoppage. Price is a knockout threat himself with 10 career KO finishes, the last coming against James Vick in the first round in 2019. One thing is certain, he’s ready to do battle with Rowe.
“It’s awesome,” he told AAMMA. “It’s gonna be a great fight. Me and him, we’re gonna go in there, we’re gonna swing it out, we’re gonna grapple, and then the best man is gonna win for the night, and then we can go hang out after… I know we all say we’re gonna whip the s*** out of the other guy, but that’s what we say. He has belief, he has confidence. I have belief and I have a lot of confidence, and I’m ready to just have fun. It’s gonna be great!”
