Niko Price Record: 16-11-0

Welterweight rise and signature violence

Price quickly became must-watch television. After a no-contest with Alex Morono in early 2017, he flattened Alan Jouban with first-round punches, ran into a submission loss to Vicente Luque, then rebounded by submitting George Sullivan and knocking out Randy Brown. His back-and-forth 2018 and 2019 captured everything that made him a cult favorite: a brutal KO loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan, a thudding first-round knockout of veteran Tim Means, a TKO defeat to Geoff Neal, and then one of the most memorable finishes of the era – a flat-on-his-back upkick knockout of James Vick at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October 2019.

Tough stretch and the grind

The same all-action style that made Price a fan favorite also took a toll. He was stopped in a 2020 rematch with Vicente Luque, fought Donald Cerrone to a no-contest later that year, and dropped a decision to Michel Pereira in 2021 before grinding out a decision win over Alex Oliveira. Losses to Phil Rowe and a first-round knockout against former champion Robbie Lawler followed. He earned a measure of redemption in June 2024 with a unanimous-decision win over Alex Morono in their rematch, but the back half of his career turned difficult: decision losses, a submission defeat to unbeaten Jacobe Smith, a 2026 TKO loss to Nikolay Veretennikov, and a submission loss to Michael Chiesa.

Fighting style

Price is a finisher to his core, with an 81% finish rate and 10 of his 16 wins by knockout. He fights with reckless creativity – upkicks, ground-and-pound from his back, and combinations thrown with bad intentions – which makes him one of the division’s most entertaining action fighters. That same abandon is his weakness: he has been knocked out and submitted multiple times, and his defensive lapses have cost him against sharper, more disciplined opponents. The result is a record of dramatic highs and hard lows, but rarely a dull night.

Career highlights

• Upkick knockout of James Vick — a rare flat-on-his-back finish that became one of the UFC’s most replayed highlight-reel knockouts.
• Debut submission of Brandon Thatch — tapped a touted welterweight in the first round on short notice at UFC 207 to announce himself in the division.
• 81% finish rate — 10 knockouts and three submissions across 16 wins, a body of work built on relentless, fan-friendly violence.