Niko Price vs. Leon Shahbazyan
UFC Fight Night · October 10, 2026 · Meta Apex · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Veteran knockout power vs. submission specialist
- Finish likelihood
- High
- The line
- Price +125 · Shahbazyan -150Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Welterweight · Prelims
The read
Shahbazyan's grappling pedigree makes him the favorite if he can get this to the mat, where his submission rate is among the best of anyone on this card.
Price's power gives him a real puncher's chance early, but his recent susceptibility to submissions is a serious red flag against this specific opponent.
Expect a finish, likely on the ground.
The matchup
Price's late-career comeback runs headlong into a grappler who has finished 92% of his career wins by submission.
Price's knockout power is the clear path for him if the fight stays standing, but he has been submitted in two of his last three fights, exactly the kind of finish Shahbazyan specializes in.
Shahbazyan, for his part, has never faced a striker with Price's power and durability.
Tale of the tape
| 16-11 | Record | 12-5 |
| 37 | Age | 30 |
| 6'0" | Height | 6'4" |
| 76" | Reach | 74" |
| — | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | United States |
| Team Price | Team | Glendale Fighting Club |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Niko Price 16-11
“The Hybrid”
Niko "The Hybrid" Price is a 37-year-old American welterweight and longtime fan favorite with 10 of his 16 career wins coming by knockout. He briefly retired in March 2026 after a loss to Michael Chiesa extended his skid to four straight, but returns after being passed over for a UFC Seattle booking to take this short-notice assignment against Leon Shahbazyan, likely his final UFC appearance.
- LMichael Chiesa · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer · March 28, 2026
- LNikolay Veretennikov · KO/TKO (punches)UFC Vegas 113 · February 7, 2026
- LJacobe Smith · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC 317 · June 28, 2025
Leon Shahbazyan 12-5
“S.O.G.”
Leon "S.O.G." Shahbazyan is a 30-year-old American welterweight and the younger brother of UFC middleweight veteran Edmen Shahbazyan, with 11 of his 12 career wins coming by submission. He is 0-1 in the UFC after a first-round knockout loss to Levan Chokheli on short notice in June 2026, and looks for his first promotional win against veteran Niko Price.
- LLevan Chokheli · KO/TKO (punch)UFC Fight Night · June 20, 2026