LAS VEGAS – After getting suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Niko Price decided he will no longer smoke marijuana.
Price (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was hit with a six-month suspension and $8,500 fine for testing positive for carboxy THC, a prohibited cannabinoid, in relation to his Sept. 19 bout against Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 178. As a result, his majority draw was overturned to a no contest.
But despite the NAC implementing new rules on marijuana usage and excluding it as a punishable offense, it makes no difference to Price. He decided to quit weed after his suspension, anyway.
“You said it perfect: It’s just silly,” Price told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s media session at the UFC Apex in Las Vegs. “It doesn’t matter anymore – I completely quit. I’ve been sober almost since the beginning of the (pandemic) break, so there’s a new person here and a different animal onstage.
“It opened my eyes to how much money I spent on it and how much money I had to pay the commission,” Price said. “So I’m just a better person now – more hyper, more hyper than I have been. My cardio’s on a different level. My precision is on a different level, and I’m hitting hard.”
Price returns to action Saturday when he takes on the high-flying Michel Pereira (25-11 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at UFC 264. A wild man himself, Price promises his sobriety and new approach to training won’t impact his performances in the cage, where he’s notched three knockout bonuses in his past seven outings.
“It’s still there – I’m coming in hot,” Price said. “Just like I said in the Cerrone fight, I’m not in here to get a boring fight. Man, I get bored in there myself if it’s boring. So I’m looking for angles to get you, and when I get you, I’m going to get you.
“Don’t sleep on me at all, because if I did that to (Cerrone) and that was the old Niko, that was the guy who smoked that whole week. My cardio wasn’t even there for that fight, my strength wasn’t even there. I got my cardio back and my strength and my mind’s clear. I’m not fogged. I’m ready to do some work.”
UFC 264 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Niko Price says NAC’s marijuana policy was ‘silly,’ but still quit smoking weed after suspension
