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UFC Houston: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani Takes Split Over Phil Rowe in Debut

Shawn Bitter — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 23:29:09 +0000

Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani was paired up with Phil Rowe at UFC Houston on Saturday, after Bellator alum Austin Vanderford was forced out of the bout.

Rowe had a bit of a scare at Friday’s official weigh-ins, coming in heavy for the welterweight fight on his first attempt. That, after missing weight twice previously in his UFC career. Luckily, he was able to use some extra time and weigh in successful on his second attempt.

Early in Round one, Lebosnoyani struggled a bit to find his range. Rowe wasn’t opening up much, leaving Lebosnoyani as the more active fighter. Lebosnoyani timed a sharp double-leg takedown and secured solid control time, threatening a D’Arce choke while mixing in effective elbows. Rowe worked back to his feet with under a minute remaining and landed a good knee, but Lebosnoyani stayed aggressive. He answered with heavy, clubbing shots, and the two exchanged big punches right at the bell.

Round two saw both fighters more comfortable at kickboxing range. Lebosnoyani continued to outwork Rowe, mixing his attacks better and throwing at a higher volume. He exploded into a takedown attempt, but Rowe used his size advantage to defend. Rowe’s low output began to cost him, while Lebosnoyani compensated for the reach disadvantage with frequent kicks and explosive entries. Though Rowe defended another takedown initially, Lebosnoyani’s pressure against the cage eventually brought the fight back to the mat. Rowe returned to his feet again but slipped while throwing a knee, stalling his momentum.

In Round three, Rowe appeared to understand he needed a finish. Lebosnoyani continued landing his go-to combination of a leg kick into an overhand, a sequence he had success with throughout the fight. Rowe stuck behind the jab, while Lebosnoyani stayed patient at range, chopping at the lead leg. Lebosnoyani was wearing some visible damage from Rowe’s long strikes but timed a clean takedown in open space and secured it.

During a wild scramble, Lebosnoyani floated on top and consistently threatened the neck whenever Rowe tried to explode out of position. With under a minute left, Rowe managed to stand as his corner urged him forward. He pressed the action and landed solid shots in the pocket, but it was too little, too late.

Official Result: Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani def. Phil Rowe by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Seok-Hyun Ko Dominates Phil Rowe With Relentless Wrestling

Eddie Law — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 21:02:43 +0000

Phil Rowe and Ko Seok-hyun squared off in a pivotal welterweight battle on Saturday at UFC Vegas 110, with both fighters looking to rebuild momentum and climb the division.

Rowe (11-5) entered the bout looking to build momentum after a June victory over Ange Loosa. While he remains active outside the UFC through frequent grappling competitions, his Octagon results have been marked by inconsistency throughout his promotional tenure.

Ko (12-2) gets his second official UFC bout after earning a contract at DWCS in 2024. ‘The Korean Tyson’ took a decision victory over Oban Elliot in his official UFC debut in June.

Round 1: Ko wasted little time securing a takedown, forcing the much taller Rowe to work off his back early. Rowe threatened an omoplata in an attempt to scramble to his feet, but Ko defended well and maintained top control.

Rowe worked back toward the fence and briefly stood, only for Ko to stay attached, delivering knees to the legs and body before dragging him down again. The round closed with Ko landing elbows from top position.

Round 2 – With a round behind him, Ko came out confident, connecting with a leg kick, a jab, and then a right hand that rocked Rowe. Rowe attempted to fire back, but Ko quickly took him down again.

Ko went right to work from top position, landing elbows before settling in and continuing to chip away. Rowe struggled to create space or find a submission, appearing hesitant at times as he searched for answers off his back.

He couldn’t stop Ko from dragging him away from the fence or landing short shots in tight. The round closed with Ko once again in dominant top position.

Round 3 – Rowe entered the final round needing a finish, but hesitation again proved costly. Ko continued attacking the lead leg with repeated calf kicks and feints, drawing reactions before baiting Rowe into opening up and scoring another clean takedown. From top position, he delivered heavy elbows as Rowe struggled to respond.

Rowe eventually made it back to his feet, but Ko stayed attached, smothering him against the fence like a predator closing in. The fight ended with Ko pressing for another takedown along the cage, sealing a dominant performance.

A clear and convincing victory for Seok-Hyun Ko.

Official Result: Seok-Hyun Ko def. Phil Rowe via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

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UFC Atlanta: Phil Rowe Earns Comeback Victory in Thriller with Ange Loosa

Jay Anderson — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 23:56:37 +0000

Looking to snap a two-fight skid, welterweight Phil Rowe faced off against Ange Loosa in the second fight of Saturday’s UFC Atlanta preliminary card.

Loosa entered off a loss to Gabriel Bonfim; one fight prior he’d seen a bout with Bryan Battle end in a No Contest following an accident eye poke.

Loosa opened the action with a right hand, Rowe answering with his kicks. Loosa fired an outside leg kick of his own, and was happy to punch his way in on the taller Phil Rowe. A minute in, a right hand by Rowe saw Loosa burst into a double-leg takedown, landing it and getting into half-guard along the fence. Each time Rowe tried to get to the fence and brace himself to wall walk up, Loosa repositioned him. In between, he was doing just enough, landing the odd shot to the body, to keep the ref at bay, though they did draw a warning to stay busy.

Round two opened scrappy, with a bit of back and forth and Rowe feigning some kicks. He backed Loosa up, putting on the pressure; Loosa answered back with kicks and a couple of short combinations, mostly 1-2s. A minute in, Loosa dropped levels and shot the takedown; Rowe defended, Loosa changed angles and tried to string together a second attempt, but Rowe again stayed standing.

Another attempt partway through the round saw Rowe quickly scramble back to his feet, in what was proving to be a better frame for “The Fresh Prince.” And after that sequence, Rowe began walking forward, going on the attack and connecting on Loosa more than once. The more time wore on, the more success Rowe was having, but Loosa started to battle back, and clipped Rowe! Rowe went down, Loosa getting on top! He’d end the round there, and the third was looking very interesting.

A slower pace played out to start round three, both fighters choosing to come out a little more reserved, a little more cautious. Loosa however would catch a leg kick just shy of 90 seconds in, forcing Rowe back to the fence. Rowe couldn’t stay up, ending up dragged down, with Loosa tying up his legs. Three minutes were on the clock, and though Rowe had started the second round strong, it had ended badly, potentially necessitating a finish.

About 30 seconds later, Rowe managed to scramble up, where he walked Loosa down, working his jab. Rowe managed to back Loosa up to the fence, ripping the body and firing some wild shots. At some point, Rowe lost his mouthpiece. Rowe fired a knee, landing. Loosa was rocked. 90 seconds on the clock, and Rowe was unloading! Rowe started battering Loosa hockey-fight style, holding the head in a clinch and firing right hand after right hand! When he released Loosa, Loosa slumped over, and the ref called it! Quite the comeback win for Phil Rowe!

Official Result: Phil Rowe def. Ange Loosa by TKO, Round 3, 4:03

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UFC 302: Jake Matthews Back in Win Column, Decisions Phil Rowe

Bryson Hester — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 00:57:51 +0000

Jake Matthews, once the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, entered UFC 302 a 10-year veteran of the company, just months shy of his 30th birthday and paired up with “The Fresh Prince” Phil Rowe.

Mathews, who debuted in the UFC in June 2014 following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, had traded wins and losses across his last six fights. Rowe for his part was coming in off a loss to Neil Magny that had snapped a three-fight win streak.

The opening round started off with Matthews and Rowe exchanging some thudding calf kicks as both fighters moved in and out of striking range. Matthews was moving around on the outside darting in with the jab and convincing feints, landing that calf kick at will. Rowe landed a combination upstairs towards the side of the cage, clipping Matthews with a shot. After parrying another shot, Rowe showboated in the center of the octagon. Midway thru the round, Matthews was still pumping out the jab with his opponent still looking to counter from the outside. With a minute left in the round, Matthews clipped Rowe with a nice lead hook before continuing to come forward with looping strikes. Rowe looked for a jumping knee that Matthews parried with his hand, but it also hit the cup and time was called momentarily.

When the action resumed, wasting no time, Matthews came in swinging wildly with hooks and Rowe clinched to slow his momentum. With seconds left in the round Rowe attempted a flying knee but this time, was clipped in midair and spent the remainder of the round on his back.

To begin the second round Jake was again the aggressor stalking Rowe around the cage looking for hooks and low kicks. Rowe looked for a long 1-2 combination that narrowly missed and was again clipped by a solid hook upstairs. Phil was really popping out that jab and constantly keeping it in the face of his opponent. Halfway thru the round and Matthews’ pace seemed to have slowed slightly but he was still throwing hard shots even mixing in some work to the body. With almost 90 seconds left in the round, Matthews landed a solid three-punch combination to the head of his opponent that got his attention. With a minute left, the two were standing in the center of the octagon pushing the pace, letting the hands go with both men having moments in the exchange.

The final round opened with a blistering pace as the two fighters quickly exchanged on the feet before Rowe shot for a takedown and was reversed. Matthews ended up on top but only momentarily, as Rowe was able to get to a modified mounted position on his opponent in the center of the octagon. As Rowe was in Matthews’ full guard, Matthews, trying to move away, exposed his back. Phil jumped on the rear-naked choke but slipped off ending up on the bottom. Entertaining scrambling was working from both fighters as Matthews landed some strikes of his own from a modified mount as Phil tried to return to his feet. With nearly a minute left in the round, Rowe had to fight out of a brief head and arm choke attempt, still trying desperately to grab a leg and return to his feet in any way possible. With seconds left in the round, Matthews looked for another choke as the two nearly returned to standing as the final horn sounded.

Come the scorecards, Matthews had the win on all three, returning to the win column following a loss to Michael Morales last time out.

Official Decision: Jake Matthews def. Phil Rowe by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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UFC Jacksonville: Clinchwork Reigns Supreme, Neil Magny Takes Razor-Thin Split From Phil Rowe

Val Dewar — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 19:17:45 +0000

In a fight which would make him the thirtieth fighter in history to have thirty UFC fights, tied for most in welterweight history, eleventh ranked welterweight Neil Magny took on knockout artist Phil ‘The Fresh Prince’ Rowe.

Magny achieved the most wins in UFC welterweight history in his last win, a submission of Daniel Rodriguez. He looked to prove he could rebound from his loss to Gilbert Burns in his last fight and that he was still a tough out for any fighter at 170-lbs. Phil Rowe, on the other hand, rode a three-fight knockout streak into this fight, all of which came after the nine-minute mark. Rowe, born in Orlando, got the pop from the Floridian crowd when Bruce Buffer announced him.

Rowe came out throwing big strikes and then clinched up to press ‘The Hatian Sensation’ against the cage. He tied to execute a trip but Magny defended it and turned the position so his back was to the center of the cage. Magny rode Rowe strongly and eventually got to his back and landed an elbow while Rowe worked to turn to face again. However, little damage was done in this position and referee Dan Mirgliotta warned them for activity a few times. Magny almost got Phil down but his balance held up and he got to the outside position after that. Rowe went for a double leg but Neil defended it. They turned back and forth a few times before Rowe backed off and got to the center of the octagon. Rowe executed a tight pull counter and staggered Magny backwards. Magny came right back and chased him across the cage with strikes. Neil attempted a takedown but ended up in the clinch once again and held Rowe against the fence for most the rest of the round. They traded elbows and separated right before the bell.

Phil Rowe opened round three with a nice outside trip that almost got Magny down. Magny used his hand to hold him up but Phil went around and took the back as Neil stood up. Phil got a body triangle and looked for a choke while Magny looked to shake him off. With three minutes left Rowe leg go and went to just control Magny with his feet on the mat and one leg laced up. He switched to a sudden double leg and Magny went down but bounced right back up. Magny turned Rowe and got the outside position in the clinch until Rowe escaped. Magny landed a good right hand on the break and clinched up again. He threatened a double leg and landed short strikes in the clinch, all the time just wearing down a now-tired looking Phil Rowe. Phil got free but got stuck in a double collar tie and ate some big knees before the end of the round.

After two close rounds, neither man could afford to take a second off in round three. Rowe opened round three with leg kicks but Magny responded with an open hand slap and a leg kick of his own. Magny came forward with bad intentions soon after and was able to land some good clinch strikes. Rowe looked to clinch up himself but it did not last long. The jab of ‘The Haitian Sensation’ popped Phil Rowe consistently when at range, but he clinched up again. Rowe dropped down for a double leg but did not get the takedown and Magny got back to space. When Rowe clinched up again Magny got to a front head lock but then transitioned to a collar tie and landed big knees. Rowe landed an uppercut in the pocket but Magny went for a takedown. He went after the single leg like a dog with a bone but Rowe stayed upright and escaped with forty seconds left in a close fight. They traded strikes and slips on the feet and Magny went for one more takedown. He pressed forward in the clinch to land some shoulder and knee strikes. Then with five seconds left Magny suddenly opened up with wild hooks and accrued some solid damage late before the bell.

When the scorecards were read almost no one could have been confident that either man won. The decision was a split when it was read out; all three judges scored it 29-28, but two of them had it for Neil Magny and one had it for Phil Rowe, giving Magny his twenty-first UFC win and preserving his ranking.

Locks in his 21st UFC victory 👏👏👏@NeilMagny is going home with the win at #UFCJacksonville!

[ We are now live on @ABCNetwork ] pic.twitter.com/LMAYgRYm66

— UFC (@ufc) June 24, 2023

Official Result: Neil Magny def. Phil Rowe by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Neil Magny vs. Phil Rowe Lined Up for UFC Jacksonville

Jay Anderson — Wed, 03 May 2023 11:24:03 +0000

The UFC’s return to Jacksonville, Florida continues to grow.

Among the most recent additions, Neil Magny (27-10) is expected to face off against Phil Rowe (10-3) at the Fight Night event, which is set to air on broadcast network ABC.

That makes UFC Jacksonville UFC on ABC 5. MMA Junkie was first to report news of the Magny vs. Rowe booking; Rowe subsequently confirmed the welterweight scrap on his Instagram story.

Magny has been a staple of the 170lb division for years. He’ll be looking to return to the win column against Rowe, after starting the year with a submission loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 283.

Prior to that setback, the 35-year old Magny had earned a win against Daniel Rodriguez last November.

Rowe has won three straight, all via TKO. Most recently, he stopped Niko Price; the only negative, “The Fresh Prince” missed weight. That’s something that has happened in two of Rowe’s last three fights.

Neil Magny sits at #10 in the UFC’s welterweight division at the moment. Rowe is not ranked, and will be looking to crack the top 15 for the first time.

UFC Jacksonville will be headlined by a featherweight fight featuring Team Alpha Male standout Josh Emmett against Ilia Topuria. The following match-ups have been reported for the event, which takes place on June 24, 2023 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida:

Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria
Tatsuro Taira vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
Maycee Barber vs. Amanda Ribas
Gillian Robertson vs. Tabatha Ricci
Mateusz Rębecki vs. Loik Radzhabov
Muslim Salikhov vs. Nicolas Dalby
Gregory Rodrigues vs. Denis Tiuliulin
Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
Punahele Soriano vs. Sedriques Dumas
Neil Magny vs. Phil Rowe

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What’s Next: UFC Orlando Winners

Val Dewar — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 22:22:59 +0000

UFC Orlando has come and gone, leaving us with an extremely memorable, downright classic performance from Stephen Thompson in the main event. Kevin Holland certainly came to fight, but it was not his night, as his corner threw in the towel following round four with Holland beaten, bloodied, and left with a broken hand.

What’s next for “Wonderboy” and the rest of the main card winners? It’s matchmaker time!

Steven ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson

‘Wonderboy’ turned back the clock on Saturday with a vintage performance reminiscent of him at his electric best as he got his first stoppage win since 2016 against unranked up-and-comer Kevin Holland. Thompson had been on a two-fight losing streak against strong wrestlers and top contenders in Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad, but now with a win under his belt once again he can look forward to fighting ranked fighters once more.

One fighter that stands out as a perfect choice for an electric match-up is the ever-chaotic Michel Pereira. Pereira is coming off a win against Santiago Ponzinibbio which earned Fight of the Night honors. That win, his fifth in a row, got him into the top fifteen at welterweight. Pereira has become a fan favorite in his short time in the UFC and Wonderboy has been for years. As Michel looks to climb further towards the top of the division and Thompson’s career potentially comes to a close — he is 39 years old — it’s an added bonus if they can keep putting on an entertaining show. This one definitely qualifies as that.

Thompson’s Next Fight: Michel Pereira

Rafael Dos Anjos

Former lightweight Rafael Dos Anjos is also coming to the end of a storied career and as a result he moved back up to welterweight, citing a desire for fun fights in the time he has left. He rebounded from his loss to Rafael Fiziev with a submission win over Bryan Barbarena in the co-main event of UFC Orlando. There are no shortage of fun fighters at welterweight and one of the most exciting ones who is also a legend of the sport is Matt “The Immortal” Brown. Brown has been apart of some amazing fights from his fight with Erick Silva to Robbie Lawler to his most recent one against Bryan Barbarena. Having two legends of two different divisions match up near the tail end of their careers is one of the best ways the UFC can honor their aging greats.

Dos Anjos’ Next Fight: Matt Brown

Matheus Nicolau

Brazilian Matheus Nicolau knocked out Matt Schnell to get his sixth win in a row which was his fourth in the UFC, keeping him undefeated in the promotion. Nicolau is inching ever closer to a title shot as Brandon Moreno and Deiveison Figueiredo look to wrap up their unprecedented quadrilogy. Alejandre Pantoja is apparently next in line for a shot at the winner of that fight, but Nicolau is close behind. Fellow top contenders Alex Perez and Kai Kara France will fight in February at UFC 284 and the winner of that fight would be perfect for Nicolau. Either man would be a stiff challenge for Nicolau and beating one of them would likely be enough to earn a future title shot.

Nicolau’s Next Fight: Winner of Alex Perez vs Kai Kara France

Sergei Pavlovich

Sergei Pavlovich made a huge statement on Saturday as the Russian knocked out fan favorite Tai Tuivasa inside of a minute. Tuivasa was coming off the back of a Fight of the Night loss to former interim champion Ciryl Gane so this win, and his last one against Derrick Lewis, proves that Pavlovich can hang with the top of the division.

None of the other top fighters are currently booked to fight so any of Curtis Blaydes, Gane, or Stipe Miocic are theoretically available, with only Aspinall out of the question due to his injury. Blaydes is on a hot streak and seemingly nearing his first UFC title shot, as is Pavlovich. A fight between the two makes sense as a number one contender fight to determine who will face the winner of a rumored Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou title fight. Blaydes is widely seen as the best wrestler in the division and Pavlovich has not faced anyone who has seriously threatened him in that area since Alistair Overeem beat him on the ground in his UFC debut, so as a bonus this fight is a good test to determine if Sergei has fixed that hole in his game.

Pavlovich’s Next Fight: Curtis Blaydes

Roman Dolidze

Roman Dolidze made a spectacular entry into the top fifteen at middleweight by being the first to finish eighth ranked Jack Hermansson since former title challenger Jared Cannonier in 2019. Now on a four fight win streak including three finishes in a row, Dolidze will look to fight another top contender after accepting and winning the Hermansson fight on short notice. Before getting injured, Derek Brunson was supposed to be Hermansson’s opponent, so it makes sense that Brunson should face the man who took Jack’s place in the rankings next. Dolidze’s slick use of a leg entanglement to set up the TKO finish showed off a level of grappling that is rare at middleweight and would provide an interesting stylistic matchup for Brunson, a wrestler.

Dolidze’s Next Fight: Derek Brunson

Eryk Anders

Eryk Anders bounced back from a losing streak with a victory of Kyle Daukaus at UFC Orlando. Anders, a former University of Alabama football player, got his first finish since 2019 and will now look to make a run at the rankings. Bruno Silva was undefeated in the UFC with three straight finishes until facing now-champion Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert in 2022. Silva and Anders both have hard-hitting striking styles and would make for a competitive and entertaining fight.

Anders’ Next Fight: Bruno ‘Blindado’ Silva

Phil Rowe

Phil Rowe got the biggest win of his career when he stopped Niko Price in round three of the main card opener at UFC Orlando. Rowe moved to 3-0 in the UFC with all three wins coming by KO or TKO. A record like that deserves a ranked or nearly ranked opponent next and a perfect opponent who is also a knockout artist is Khaos Williams. Williams and Rowe are two of the hardest hitters in the welterweight division and a fight between the two of them would be a shoe-in for some kind of performance bonus with the winner looking at a shot at the rankings next.

Rowe’s Next Fight: Kalinn ‘Khaos’ Williams

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UFC Orlando: Phil Rowe Mounts Comeback, Stops Niko Price in Third

Val Dewar — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 03:35:50 +0000

Master of chaos Niko Price faced knockout artist Phil Rowe in what would have been the featured prelim of UFC Orlando on Saturday (a shuffling of the deck bumped it up to the main card).

Price was coming off of a decision win over a fellow chaotic fighter in Alex Oliveira while Rowe had knocked out his last two opponents since losing his UFC debut. Although Rowe missed weight, this fight was one that, on paper, seemed likely to be exciting from start to finish and Rowe would have the benefit of a home crowd behind him, although Price is also from Florida.

Price backed up Rowe against the fence early on and was able to land a variety of leg kicks. Rowe tried to use his longer arms to stick the jab and set up the right hand but was unable to land much early on until he landed a flying knee two minutes in. Phil Rowe began to play around and showboat a little bit but the fight was close and he was likely down on the strike count. With two minutes left in the round Price landed a flurry against the fence. Rowe wobbled Price with a punch with ninety seconds left in the round but Niko quickly recovered. A late left hook and right hand landed clean also from Rowe before the bell rang. Although he got outstruck early, he made the round close and may have won it late.

Before round two Phil Rowe did push-ups and hip thrusts, showboating some more despite being in a fight. Niko was charging forward urgently to get to Rowe while Rowe looked to avoid the blitzes and counter with hard punches. Price’s output increased significantly early in the second round. Rowe shot a surprising takedown two minutes into the round and ended up in full guard. Price tried to lock up a triangle choke and Rowe stood back up, letting Price do so as well. On the feet Price was still extremely active in his awkward style but when Rowe landed his shots were cleaner and more powerful, though he did not let his hands go often.

A failed takedown by Niko Price ended with Phil Rowe on his back after a scramble and Rowe immediately locked up a body triangle. As Rowe looked to lock up a choke, Price decided to try to punch the man on his back at an awkward angle instead of focusing on defense. Rowe put an arm over Price’s chin and tried to get a neck crank but Price escaped and got back to his feet in an unusual, and indescribable, manner. The back take and sub attempt seemingly had won Phil the round but it was not a sure thing.

Rowe and Price jawed at each other before embracing at the start of round three and they immediately got to swinging to take each other’s heads off after that. One minute in to the round Price landed a big right hand that hurt Rowe and a follow up knee did more damage. Rowe got on the back foot, trying to stay alive, and he fell to his back with Price on top, raining down hammerfists before settling in half guard. Still, in half guard, Price tried to land strikes but had trouble doing so while controlling Rowe. Rowe finally came up on a body and got to his feet but Price refused to stop swinging.

Rowe came back with a straight punch that hurt a now potentially tired Niko Price. A big right hand from Rowe landed with two minutes left and Price stumbled backwards to the fence, visibly hurt and on shaky legs. ‘The Fresh Prince’ flurried non-stop with punches and collar tie knees against the fence until Price was so out of it he could not keep his head up and Mark Goddard stopped the fight. This fight represented the biggest win of Rowe’s career and he had overcome adversity against his toughest opponent to date to get his third straight knockout.

Official Result: Phil Rowe def. Niko Price by TKO (knees and punches), Round 3, 3:26

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UFC Orlando: Niko Price Doesn’t Care Where The Fight Goes, He’s Going To Win

Eddie Law — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 19:42:23 +0000

Orlando, FL – UFC welterweight Niko Price comes into UFC Orlando against Phil Rowe knowing he’ll more than likely get into an exciting scrap when they face off in the octagon inside Amway Center on Saturday night.

Price (15-5, 2NC) has been out for over a year. Last time out he defeated Alex Oliveira in October 2021. He comes into this fight looking for a scrap.

“You better just expect some fights because that’s what I do,” Price told the press on Wednesday.

Rowe has previously said that he’s not looking for a brawl, but a technical bout where he turns it into a bull-versus-matador type of fight.

“It’s cool. Everyone has a game plan until they get punched in the face,” Price said.

The last time Price followed a game plan for an entire fight?

“Great question. Couldn’t tell ya. I go in to fight people. I’m going in there to get dirty just get in your face, and start swinging these hands, knees, feet, everything. You want to grapple? I’m cool with that too. I’m good everything,” Price said.

“I’m having fun man. I’m the hybrid.”

Price’s prediction doesn’t include how or when, but one thing is true.

“I’m going to win. Simple.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Niko Price above. He takes on Phil Rowe at UFC Orlando on Saturday night at Amway Center in Orlando, FL.

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UFC Orlando’s Phil Rowe: Being Tough “Means You Get Beat Up A Lot”

Jay Anderson — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 11:49:54 +0000

While many fans have circled the Phil Rowe vs. Niko Price welterweight fight at UFC Orlando as a potential war — with all the implications, like post-fight bonuses, that come with it — “The Fresh Prince” himself doesn’t see it that way.

“I’m not having a war on Saturday, so I don’t know where you got that from,” Rowe (9-3) told reporters during Wednesday’s UFC Orlando media day. “That’s the last thing on my mind. I’m gonna go out there, use my footwork, be long, be elusive, and get it done.”

Those words may spell disappointment for some fans. But it’s hard to blame Rowe for wanting to take a more methodical approach to this particular fight. He’s riding in on a two-fight win streak, against a tough opponent in Price — though Rowe questions just what “tough” means in the context of a fight.

“There’s no like, secret with his skill set. He’s good, he’s skilled, everyone’s skilled here,” observed Rowe. “He’s tough. I hear that a lot. I don’t know if being tough is a skill set. I think that means you get beat up a lot. That’s what that means. I don’t know if I’m tough; my job is not to be hit. Use my range, use my footwork, use my athleticism, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Rowe is heading into the fight knowing that Niko Price may simply walk forward, being as tough as he’s reputed to be. But Rowe has seen toughness in the gym daily for some time now.

“Exactly. And when you say tough, I’ve trained with Mike Perry for eight years. Arguably he’s the toughest fighter on Earth. Durable. I’m used to guys that are there. For 15 minutes, I’ve got to put hands on him, and I’ll just do that. For me, that’s not a scary skill set, when they say a guy is ‘tough, he’s durable.’ It means he gets his ass whupped a lot. If that’s what we gotta do for 15 minutes, that’s what we gotta do.”

Phil Rowe faces Niko Price at UFC Orlando this Saturday, December 3, 2022. The card airs live on ESPN in the U.S.

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