Welterweights Nikolay Veretennikov and Niko Price were next to last in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 113 prelims, with Price entering the fight on short notice.
Veretennikov was set to face Henrique Souza after casting himself as Eric Nolan’s replacement. A real game of musical chairs that worked out in Nikolay’s favor.
Niko Price had his back against the fence early in the fight as Veretennikov controlled and landed several heavy punches. After peeling off the fence, Price fired a front kick but was quickly cornered again, with Veretennikov landing a right hand, a knee, and then a second right hand! Price looked up and the referee made the save as he slumped against a post.
Price protested the stoppage, but really had no reason to do so as he was clearly out of it and did nothing to defend or even protect himself. For Veretennikov it was an important victory after losing three of his last four fights.
“What I want to say about the fight is that we clearly prepared for something different,” Veretennikov said after the fight, speaking to Paul Felder. “Thank you to my opponent for saving the fight and picking it up at short notice. I’m here for everyone,” he added.
Official result: Nikolay Veretennikov defeated. Niko Price by TKO (strikes), round 1, 1:42
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