Alex Oliveira and Niko Price faced off in a Welterweight clash tonight (Sat., Oct. 2, 2021) at UFC Vegas 38 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following 15 minutes of action, Price earned the decision nod.
The two exchanged low kicks to open the fight. Still, it didn’t take long for the first big shots of the fight to land, as Oliveira cracked his foe with a pair of right hands. After trading in the pocket, Price pursued a clinch takedown, but Oliveira turned the tables and slammed his foe … before getting immediately reversed! Price landed in full guard and established control. He didn’t land anything too devastating, but Price maintained top position for the final two minutes of the round to score the first frame.
Right away, the two athletes went back to chopping at one another’s legs. Hard left hook followed by an overhand scored for “Cowboy,” who was keeping his hands by his hips. The Brazilian made good use of his speed advantage, keeping it loose. Oliveira countered a low kick and gained top position in the process. Price immediately attacked submissions from his back, but Oliveira stayed heavy on top and passed guard. Price’s activity from bottom largely kept him safe from big shots, but he also spent a huge majority of the round on his back.
With five minutes remaining, victory was up for grabs.
Price landed some solid shots to begin the third, but Oliveira fired right back and dug into the lead leg. Both men were pushing the pace, throwing hard shots. Oliveira did well to make his foe miss and answer with right hands. Huge 2-3-2 wobbles Oliveira, and these two were finally in a full on brawl as promised! Price pressured forward. Another hard right connected for “The Hybrid,” who then attacked the takedown. Oliveira used a guillotine attempt to disengage. Oliveira was looking exhausted, but that didn’t stop him from landing a huge pair of hooks. Oliveira looked for a takedown of his own from the clinch, but Price reversed into top position! Price flurried with a series of hammerfists and punches, and that may well have secured the win.
All in all, this was an incredibly close fight. However, all three judges named Price the victor, likely as a result of that late flurry in the third.
Result: Niko Price defeats Alex Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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