Report | James Vick to make welterweight debut against Niko Price

The UFC’s return to Tampa, Florida is coming together nicely with the addition of a welterweight matchup between former lightweight James Vick and Niko Price.

According to a report on Monday from FloCombat, Vick will make his welterweight debut against Price at UFC on the card. The event will take place Oct. 12 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will be headlined by a women’s strawweight bout between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Michelle Waterson. It will air on ESPN+. 

The UFC has yet to officially announce the bout between Vick and Price.

Following three straight losses at 155-pounds, “The Texecutioner” Vick announced that he would be making the move up to the UFC’s welterweight division. He was on a tear with four straight victories before being knocked out in the first round by Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Lincoln last August. The 32-year-old would return in February at UFC Phoenix to take on Paul Felder, dropping a unanimous decision and would look to right the wrong in his home state of Texas five months later at UFC San Antonio. Vick would be finished in the first round by Dan Hooker in the fight which prompted the move to 170.

Vick’s welterweight debut will not be an easy one, as he meets the always-exciting Price, who will fight in his home state of Florida. The Cape Coral native will look to get back to his winning ways after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Geoff Neal last month at UFC 240 in Edmonton in a fight that lived up to expectations. The soon to be 30-year-old Price has alternated wins and losses over his last four fights, picking up finishes over Randy Brown and Tim Means, while suffering finish losses to Neal and Abdul Razak Alhassan.

In addition, Contender Series contract winner Brok Weaver announced on Monday afternoon’s edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show that he will make his UFC debut at the event in a lightweight bout with Thomas Gifford.

Who will get back in the win column at UFC Tampa: James Vick or Niko Price?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/27/2019.