Phil Rowe had to weather a late storm, but was able to put an exclamation point on his performance against Niko Price.
Although Rowe (10-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was likely ahead on the scorecards entering the final round of the main card welterweight bout at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., Price (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) turned up the heat to create one of the wildest back-and-forth rounds of the year.
Rowe picked his shots well and locked in a couple of submission attempts in the first two rounds, putting him ahead in the fight with just five minutes to go. With his back against the wall, Price came out on fire in the third round and put Rowe in a dangerous spot as he hunted for a finish.
However, the finish would not come for Price, but rather Rowe, who worked his way back up and began putting sharp punches together. The momentum quickly shifted in Rowe’s favor after rocking Price, and emptying the tank to get the standing TKO stoppage.
Watch video of the ending sequence below (via Twitter):
Rowe was RELENTLESS 😱 #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/mRZ6zwd7Ic
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 4, 2022
Rowe, 32, makes it three straight stoppage wins with Saturday’s result. “The Fresh Prince” recorded finishes of Orion Cosce last July and Jason Witt in February.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 42 results include:
- Phil Rowe def. Niko Price via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:26
- Angela Hill def. Emily Ducote via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Clay Guida def. Scott Holtzman via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Michael Johnson def. Marc Diakiese via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jonathan Pearce def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Natan Levy def. Genaro Valdez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Francis Marshall def. Marcelo Rojo via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:14
- Yazmin Jauregui def. Istela Nunes via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:06
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.
