Niko Price
Age: 28
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 11-1, 1 NC
UFC Record: 3-1, 1 NC
Notable Wins: Alan Jouban, Brandon Thatch
Notable Losses: Vicente Luque
Last Fight: Submission win over George Sullivan
Fighter Profile: One of the most exciting up-and-coming welterweights in the UFC, Price’s career in the Octagon so far couldn’t have gone much better. He’s picked up three wins by stoppage including victories over Jouban and Thatch, and had another knockout win over Alex Morono taken away from him after testing positive for marijuana. He did lose to Luque, but otherwise has been perfect in his career. He is a very well-rounded fighter who can finish his opponents both on the feet and on the mat, making him a very dangerous fighter in the welterweight division. He appears to be ready to take the next big step in his career and with a couple more stoppage wins could very well be banging on the door of the top-15 at 170lbs.
Randy Brown
Age: 28
Nationality: American
MMA Record: 10-2
UFC Record: 4-2
Notable Wins: Mickey Gall, Brian Camozzi
Notable Losses: Belal Muhammad, Michael Graves
Last Fight: Decision win over Mickey Gall
Fighter Profile: A top prospect in the welterweight division, Brown has been up-and-down in his UFC career so far but a dominant win over Gall should hopefully help him finally build some confidence and momentum. At times we’ve seen him at his best when he’s picked up vicious finishes over the likes of Camozzi, but he’s also looked poor at other time such as when Graves took him down and tapped him out. Brown is still young and has a lot of potential, and hopefully he’s able to put it all together, but I’d like to see him on a more active fight schedule from here on out considering he hasn’t fought since November.
Fight Breakdown: Both guys are really solid welterweights who don’t get the love they deserve but ultimately I am going to side with Price in this fight because I believe he’s the more well-rouned finisher. Brown may be a bit more flashy and I was impressed with how good he looked against Gall, but I think Price has serious skills in the standup department as well as a super dangerous ground game which is where I think he has the biggest advantage in this fight. We’ve seen Brown get tapped out before on the mat, and I think Price can get him down to the ground and finish him as he looks to continue to rise the welterweight ranks in the UFC. I just feel like Price doesn’t get the credit he deserves even though he’s quietly emerged as one of the most dangerous guys in the welterweight division both standing and on the ground. There aren’t too many guys in the division who have the ability to finish fights from both areas of the game so it will be interesting to see how Price continues to evolve and develop in his UFC career from here on out.
Prediction: Niko Price via submission
