“The Hybrid” is headed to Sin City.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight veteran Niko Price will step in on just five days’ notice to face Nikolay Veretennikov at UFC Vegas 113 this weekend (Sat., Feb. 7, 2026) inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion announced the matchup earlier today.
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Price replaces Jose Henrique Souza, who was originally slated to fight Veretennikov after stepping in for Eric Nolan. In short, the bout has gone from Nolan vs. Souza, to Souza vs. Veretennikov, and now Veretennikov vs. Price — short-notice MMA, baby!
Known as one of the most action-oriented fighters in the division, Price (16-9-2) is in desperate need of a win. The 36-year-old is riding a two-fight losing streak and has won just two of his last nine bouts overall. Even more concerning, four of his last six losses have come by way of finish.
Price’s most recent wins came against Alex Morono at UFC 302 and Alex Oliveira back in 2021. With his back firmly against the wall, taking a short-notice fight may be his best chance to reassert his value with the promotion.
Veretennikov, meanwhile, appeared to be nearing the end of his UFC run after going 1-3 inside the Octagon. However, the 36-year-old inked a new deal — likely aided by his willingness to accept fights on short notice.
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“Gladiator” began his UFC tenure with consecutive losses to Danny Barlow and Austin Vanderford before edging Francisco Prado via split decision. He’s coming off a forgettable unanimous decision loss to Punahele Soriano and, like Price, badly needs a victory to stabilize his standing.
With two veterans fighting for relevance and roster security, this short-notice Welterweight clash could steal the show — or end abruptly.
Here’s the finalized UFC Vegas 113 lineup (fingers crossed it stays intact):
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Mario Bautista vs. Vinicius Oliveira
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Amir Albazi vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
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Jailton Almeida vs. Rizvan Kuniev
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Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
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Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker
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Farid Basharat vs. Jean Matsumoto
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Daniil Donchenko vs. Alex Morono
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Niko Price vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
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Bruna Brasil vs. Ketlen Souza
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Javid Basharat vs. Said Nurmagomedov
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Eduarda Moura vs. Cong Wang
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Muin Gafurov vs. Jakub Wilacz
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Priscila Cachoeira vs. Klaudia Sygula
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
