James Vick vs. Niko Price Targeted For UFC Tampa

James Vick vs. Niko Price Targeted For UFC Tampa

A 170-pound fight between James Vick and Niko Price is in the works for UFC on ESPN+ 19, sources have confirmed to FloCombat.

Aug 26, 2019 by Mike Heck
James Vick vs. Niko Price Targeted For UFC Tampa

James Vick will not have to wait long to make his welterweight debut.

A 170-pound fight between Vick and Niko Price is in the works for UFC on ESPN+ 19, sources have confirmed to FloCombat. The event will take place Oct. 12 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will be headlined by a women’s strawweight bout between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson.

Vick will look to bounce back from the first three-fight losing streak of his career in his first UFC fight in the welterweight division. After going on a four-fight winning streak throughout 2017 and the beginning of 2018, Vick has suffered losses to Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder and, most recently, Dan Hooker at last month’s UFC San Antonio event. “The Texecutioner” announced the move to 170-pounds following his last appearance and will take on one of the most exciting fighters in the division.

Price is coming off a barn burner of a fight last month at UFC 240, when he took on surging welterweight contender Geoff Neal in Edmonton. “Hybrid” would lose the fight via second-round TKO in a fight that lived up to the hype. Price, who is from nearby Cape Coral in Florida, has been quite vocal about getting on this card in Tampa, and he looks to have gotten his wish.

Another welterweight bout has been added to the card on Monday as Contender Series contract winner Brok Weaver announced on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he will make his Octagon debut against Thomas Gifford in Tampa. In addition, a featherweight matchup between Kron Gracie and Cub Swanson, as well as the return of Mackenzie Dern in a women’s strawweight matchup against Amanda Ribas are among the fights that have been confirmed for the event.