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Action starts at 8 pm ET
Niko Price defeated Alex Morono
Niko Price was dropped twice in the first round, but the Florida product survived and stayed focused until he finished Alex Morono with a perfectly-placed right hook at 5:00 of the second round. The stoppage seemed to come after the horn but Morono was out cold and the referee can make the decision to stop the fight. The finishing blow was almost an upper cut that Price was able to get everything into.
They said it:
Niko Price : “I was really surprised by his movement. I couldn’t gauge my distance in the first round. Once I got him against the cage, I felt like I was able to correct that more but he was really good at staying on his toes and I really underestimated that. I went into a brawl mode because of it and I’m disappointed in myself for doing that. I did not even hear the bell. I just saw his positioning and knew that I had the knockout. I am happy I got the knockout but I don’t want to slip back into being a brawler so I plan on working on that more back in the gym. I took the fight on short notice so I had ten days to get ready but fighting is my job and I wasn’t going to turn it down. I am happy with the win but I definitely want to work on a few things. I don’t care who the next opponent is. I’m at the pinnacle of the sport [in the UFC] so now it’s just about getting better. I’m excited to get back to the gym and doing what I love!”
Khalil Rountree Jr. defeated Daniel Jolly
Ultimate Fighter season 23 finalist Khalil Rountree started off Fight Night Houston with a explosive finish when he connected on a knee to the head of Daniel Jolly who was in on Roundtree trying to take down the Las Vegas native. Rountree won by KO at :52 of the very first round. It is no secret that opponents of Rountree are looking to get him to the ground and more importantly on his back. The powerful striker has lost his first two in the UFC and has struggled keeping the fight standing. But Rountree showed great takedown defense in the one-minute finish to pick up his first UFC win.
They said it:
Khalil Rountree : “That was all reflex. My corners and I understood coming in that he would try to take me down so that is something that I drilled over and over again in this camp so it was natural. I focused my camp on wrestling and spent a lot of time working with Tom Lawlor on wrestling, jiu-jitsu and just general grappling but saw the perfect opportunity to end the fight. I’m heading right back to the gym. I want to train more, learn more and improve my skills as a fighter. I want to make a statement that I am up there with the best fighters in this division and I know I need to put work in to get there. I’m also going to spend some time looking at the division. I don’t have an exact opponent in mind next but my coaches and I are going to sit down and determine who should be next.”
