Alex Oliveira has an unusual message for Niko Price heading into their welterweight scrap later tonight (Sat., Oct. 2, 2021) at UFC Vegas 38 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. That message is to get a vasectomy.
Oliveira, father of 11, learned earlier this week that Price is expecting his sixth child. Having six kids is certainly a tall task, but fathering 11 little rascals is nearly impossible. That’s why Oliveira is lending some advice to Price before it’s too late.
“I’d tell him, ’If you can get a vasectomy already, do it, brother,’” Oliveira told MMA Fighting. “I was sexist. ‘Will it continue the same way after surgery?’ And I got 11. If I had done surgery before, I would have gotten only four or five [kids].
“That’s my advise for him, man. Know the truth. Get the surgery done already, because it seems that condoms can’t stop us.”
Children aside, Oliveira desperately needs a win Saturday to gain some momentum heading into 2021. The Brazilian “Cowboy” has lost five out of his last seven trips to the Octagon, including back-to-back submission loses to Shavkat Rakhmonov and Randy Costa. Oliveira needed to make adjustments in camp to ensure he’s ready for a wild fighter like Price and able to capture his first win in over 14 months.
“He’s very versatile, a tough guy that can take a beating,” said Oliveira when asked about Price. “He’s the type of guy that you have to stay alert at all times and in shape, and put pressure at all times. My camp was very medieval. You can expect anything from him so I had to train everything for him. I’m ready for a war.”
The welterweight scrap between Oliveira and Price is already being pegged as the odds-on-favorite to win Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 38. Both guys seem to bring it every time they step inside of the cage and Saturday should be no different.
“I’m on this journey for a long time,” Oliveira said. “I know we can’t disappoint. I’m going there to give them what they want and have my hands raised. That’s what I need at the moment. I always put pressure over myself, but highs and lows do exist.
“I’ve studied him completely, I know he has won by knockout off his back, with upkicks and unexpected strikes. I’m well-trained, I’m focused. He’s the type of fighter that will try to finish me, take me down and keep me there and win round after round, but the only way you’ll win round after round is if I stand still. I’m hungry, man. I’m here for a fight.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 38 fight card HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.