Welterweights
Alex Morono (24-9, 13-6 UFC) vs. Niko Price (15-7, 7-7 UFC)Seven years after their first fight, Price and Morono run back what remains an interesting pairing. Their first bout came early in each man’s respective UFC career. Price had just run through Brandon Thatch for a successful UFC debut, while Morono kicked off his UFC career with impressive wins over Kyle Noke and James Moontasri. Morono looked set to extend that streak to three wins after the better part of two rounds, until Price scored the first of many sudden finishes in the UFC with a brutal knockout at the second-round horn. However, the win was later overturned due to Price testing positive for marijuana. In the time since, Morono has become one of the UFC’s most reliable utility players, capable of having an interesting and fun fight with just about anyone on the roster. As one of the promotion’s worst natural athletes and best game planners, “The Great White” can either stay ahead of raw prospects or go toe-to-toe with some of the UFC’s craftiest veterans. It’s always nice to see Morono thread the needle and go on a winning streak while picking the right spots with his awkward approach, but that all comes with the understanding that there’s a clear ceiling. Even when Morono doesn’t outright get sparked by fighters like Price or Santiago Ponzinibbio, someone like Joaquin Buckley has the sheer horsepower to freeze him out of a successful fight for three rounds.
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As for Price, he has remained a testament to how far outlier power can carry a fighter, as he’s never truly out of a fight. His 2018 finish of Randy Brown, which saw Price score a knockout with hammerfists from his back, seemed to defy various laws of fighting and physics. However, Price’s own lack of technical form leaves him open defensively, and there has been a sense of diminishing returns in the last few years since he has come back from a knee injury. He tired himself out attempting to finish Philip Rowe and got finished for his troubles, and Robbie Lawler closed out his career with a 39-second knockout of Price in July. The threat of a Price knockout will remain constant throughout this fight until it’s over, but Morono did pick him apart for most of their first fight; and it feels like Morono has only gotten sharper while Price seems stuck in a rut at the moment. That could all turn around with one looping strike from Price, but the read is that Morono can build on his success from seven years ago and finish the job this time around. The pick is Morono via third-round stoppage.
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