Retired Niko Price returns after six months to face Leon Shahbazyan at October UFC Fight Night

Niko Price’s retirement lasted all of six months. The welterweight, who submitted his gloves after a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in March, has been added back to the UFC roster and is targeted to fight Leon Shahbazyan on October 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

The bout is set to appear on a UFC Fight Night card headlined by Brendan Allen vs. Christian Leroy Duncan. Price (16-11) enters the contest in difficult form — he has lost four consecutive fights and been finished in each of his last three outings.

Shahbazyan (12-5) brings his own turbulent recent history to the matchup. The younger brother of UFC middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan, Leon made his long-awaited Octagon debut this past June after failing to earn a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, where he lost to Phil Rowe. He arrived in the UFC on the back of an impressive four-fight submission streak that included three consecutive guillotine chokes, but was stopped in just 23 seconds by Levan Chokheli in his promotional debut. Shahbazyan confirmed his October return date via Instagram.

For Price, the comeback raises immediate questions about what changed in the months since he walked away. “The Hybrid” had been a fan favourite for his entertaining, high-risk style, but the accumulation of losses and finishes clearly prompted his initial decision to step away. His reinstatement to the roster earlier this month suggests the UFC sees value in putting him back in the Octagon, even against a fellow fighter looking to recover from a damaging debut loss.

With both men needing a result badly, the October 10 card in Las Vegas offers a meaningful crossroads bout for two fighters whose UFC futures hinge on what happens inside the Meta Apex.