"He landed 239 strikes in 2 rounds" - Niko Price praises Nick Diaz's UFC 266 return ahead of his own fight against 'Cowboy' Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 193

Niko Price (left) and Robbie Lawler vs. Nick Diaz (right) [Photo via @hybridufc on IG]

Nick Diaz may have been unsuccessful in his comeback, but Niko Price was impressed by the former Strikeforce champion's return.

After spending more than six years away from the octagon, Diaz made his long-awaited comeback in a rematch against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266. The Stockton-based fighter ultimately suffered a TKO (retirement) 44 seconds into the third round.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Price suggested Diaz still looked sharp at the age of 38. He also said Diaz only needed more time to shake the ring rust off. According to 'The Hybrid':

"He landed 239 strikes in two rounds, so yeah. He just needs to be alert and present at the moment and then he'll be good."

Niko Price went on to say that he believes he'll cross paths with Diaz in the future. For now, though, he's focused on getting the job done against Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira at UFC Vegas 38. The event will take place this Saturday, October 2, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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It will be Niko Price's second octagon appearance of the year. His last bout was a losing effort against Brazilian standout Michel Pereira on the preliminary card of UFC 264.

Niko Price welcomes showdown with Colby Covington

Niko Price believes Colby Covington is deserving of his upcoming welterweight championship rematch because he gave Kamaru Usman his toughest test to date. 'The Hybrid' added that he's open to a potential fight between himself and 'Chaos'.

"I think it would be a great fight. We trained together a few times while I was over there. So for me to get in there with any of the top-five dudes, I got to get on an impressive win streak too," Price told Sportskeeda MMA.

Covington will be gunning for Usman's UFC welterweight crown in the main event of UFC 268 on November 6. 'Chaos' challenged for the title once before at UFC 245, but fell short after getting TKO'd in the fifth round.

Check out our full interview with Niko Price ahead of UFC Vegas 38 below:

Note to Indian fans:

Watch UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker on October 3, 2021, LIVE on Sony Ten 2 & Sony Ten 3 (Hindi) channels from 4:30AM IST