Niko Price Gets Proper Retirement Fight After UFC Seattle Snub
The fan favorite returns for one last fight after his farewell at UFC Seattle was overshadowed by Michael Chiesa.
Niko Price is getting a do-over. The UFC welterweight fan favorite will return for one final fight against Leon Shahbazyan on the prelims of UFC Vegas 122 this Saturday, October 10, at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Price originally retired at UFC Seattle earlier this year after a first-round submission loss to Michael Chiesa via rear-naked choke. Both fighters had planned for it to be their final bout, but the farewell ceremony went sideways. Chiesa received the full retirement treatment, complete with a video package, post-fight interview, and microphone time. Price got nothing.
Daniel Cormier, who was on commentary that night, later explained he chose not to interview Price because it felt awkward to do so immediately after Chiesa's sendoff. Price was understandably frustrated. He had expected his own moment and walked out of the cage without one.
The UFC apparently felt the same way. According to reports, the promotion reached out to Price and offered him a proper final fight to make up for the Seattle snub. Price accepted, and now the 36-year-old gets one more walk to the Octagon in front of the Las Vegas crowd.
His opponent, Leon Shahbazyan, is the older brother of UFC middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan. Leon made his promotional debut in June on short notice against Levan Chokheli and was stopped in just 23 seconds. This will be his second UFC appearance.
Price (16-11, 2 NC) enters on a four-fight losing streak. His most recent win came at UFC 302 in 2024, a unanimous decision over Alex Morono. Known as "The Hybrid," Price has been with the UFC since 2016 and built a reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster.
UFC Vegas 122 is headlined by a middleweight bout between Brendan Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan.
This is the right call by the UFC. Niko Price gave this company a decade of violence and entertainment. The man has been in wars. He deserves better than walking out of a cage in Seattle with no microphone and no moment while the other guy gets the full hero treatment.
I get why DC made the call he made in the moment. It is awkward to do back-to-back retirement interviews. But someone should have figured that out beforehand. You know both guys are retiring. Plan for it.
Price is not going to beat Father Time here. He is on a four-fight skid and fighting a guy who got stopped in 23 seconds in his debut. But that is beside the point. This is about sending a warrior out the right way, at the Apex, a few miles from where I am sitting. Win or lose, he gets his moment this time. That is all he wanted.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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