UFC 290 Prelims: Robbie Lawler Starches Niko Price in Memorable Swan Song

ROBBIE LAWLER GETS THE KO IN 38 SECONDS IN HIS FINAL UFC FIGHT 😳 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/8ZV3mdUXWD

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2023

It was a fairy tale conclusion to a legendary career.

Robbie Lawler ended his mixed martial arts career in vintage form, as he knocked out Niko Price in the opening stanza of their UFC 290 bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The former welterweight champion rendered Price (15-7, 7-7, 2 NC UFC) unconscious 38 seconds into Round 1 — his 22nd overall triumph via KO or TKO.

Related » UFC 290 Round-by-Round Scoring

“It was good. It was just the ending of the career,” Lawler said. “I was landing some big shots in good places…It was too much. It was just nice to end my career like this.”

With the masses chanting his name from opening bell, Lawler wasted little time imposing his will. The 41-year-old Kill Cliff FC representative punched his way into the clinch, then teed off with close quarters hooks and uppercuts, the last of which folded Price to the canvas. As soon as his opponent hit the mat, Lawler raised his arms in celebration, well aware that the job was done. After the victory, a video tribute was played in the arena, which brought the normally stoic Lawler to tears.

Taira Keeps Undefeated Record Intact

Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira relied on takedowns and dominant positions to capture a unanimous decision against former Fury Fighting Championship title holder Edgar Chairez in a 130-pound catchweight bout. All three judges saw the fight 29-27 in favor of the 23-year-old ex-Shooto king.

Chairez’s inability to remain upright led to his downfall. He hurt Taira (14-0, 4-0 UFC) with a left hand in Round 1, but when his foe shot for a takedown, Chairez elected to jump guard for a guillotine. That allowed Taira to assume top position, where he advanced to a mounted crucifix and dropped elbows from above.

Taira was more dominant in the second stanza, as he landed an early takedown, moved to mount and unloaded more ground-and-pound before ending the period by transitioning to a triangle choke from his back. Taira grounded Chairez (10-5, 0-1 UFC) yet again in Round 3, but the Mexican fighter ended the fight with a mounted guillotine as the horn sounded. It wasn’t nearly enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

Gomes Rocks Jauregui

Parana Vale Tudo export Denise Gomes stunned highly-regarded Mexican prospect Yazmin Jauregui with a quick technical knockout victory in a strawweight showdown. Gomes (8-2, 2-1 UFC) ended the bout with a barrage of unanswered left hands just 20 seconds into Round 1 — the fastest finish in division history.

Jauregui (10-1, 2-1 UFC) didn’t get time to make her mark. Gomes pressed the action from the opening bell and crumbled her adversary with three right hands. As Jauregui clinged to a leg out of desperation near the fence, the Brazilian continued to unload with punches until referee Jason Herzog decided he had seen enough. Gomes has finished six of her eight professional triumphs by knockout or technical knockout.

Menifield Wins Rematch, Taps Crute

Alonzo Menifield got some closure against Jimmy Crute, winning via submission in a light heavyweight rematch. The 35-year-old Texan locked in a guillotine choke for the finish at the 1:55 mark of the second stanza. The first meeting between Menifield and Crute ended in a majority draw at UFC 284 this past February.

Much of the first frame was contested in the clinch with Crute doing solid work in close quarters, but Menifield distinguished himself by tagging his foe with several clean right hands at range. “Atomic” countered effectively with punching combinations at the outset of Round 2, which prompted his Australian opponent to shoot for a takedown. Menifield stuffed the attempt and secured the guillotine before powering his way into top position. Crute (12-4-1, 4-4-1 UFC) had no choice but to tap moments later.

Petrino Grounds, Submits Prachnio

CM System product Vitor Petrino kept his undefeated record intact, as he submitted Polish veteran Marcin Prachnio in a light heavyweight contest. The powerfully-built Brazilian elicited a tapout from his opponent with an arm-triangle choke 3:42 into the third frame. It was the first submission defeat of Prachnio’s professional career.

Petrino (9-0, 2-0 UFC) landed the more impactful offense on the feet, but it was his wrestling that ultimately made the difference. The Contender Series alum grounded Prachnio (16-7, 3-5 UFC) in each stanza, advanced to dominant positions and dropped heavy elbows from above. After threatening with a rear-naked choke in Round 2, Petrino finished the job in the final period by moving to mount and locking in the decisive choke. His squeeze was strong enough to force the tapout without passing to side control.

Saaiman Overwhelms Mitchell

Former South African K-1 kickboxing champion Cameron Saaiman made short work of ex-Alaska Combat Entertainment titleholder Terrence Mitchell, winning via technical knockout in a bantamweight pairing. Saaiman (9-0, 3-0 UFC) ended the contest with a barrage of unanswered punches from back mount at the 3:10 mark of Round 1. Mitchell (14-3, 0-1 UFC) sees an 11-bout winning streak snapped in defeat.

Mitchell landed a takedown at the outset of the opening stanza but quickly found himself ensnared in a guillotine choke. Saaiman used the maneuver to return to his feet, and he gradually imposed his will from there. Shortly thereafter, the 22-year-old Team Cit member powered Mitchell to the canvas, moved to the back and flattened his opponent out before unleashing the fight-ending salvo.

Aguilar One-Punch KOs Ross

Jesus Santos Aguilar picked the ideal time to author the first knockout victory of his career.

The former Ultimate Warrior Challenge Mexico title holder needed just one punch to vanquish Shannon Ross, rendering his foe unconscious with a perfectly placed overhand right just 17 seconds into their flyweight fight. That checks in as the second-fastest KO in the history of the 125-pound division.

Aguilar (9-2, 1-1 UFC) didn’t need long to find his opening. The Victory Fight Club export feinted a takedown before launching the decisive blow, which connected and ended with Ross’s (12-8, 0-2 UFC) head bouncing off the canvas. “The Turkish Delight” has lost three straight fights — all via KO or TKO — dating back to his appearance no Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022.

Ribovics Outduels Kirk

Argentina’s Esteban Ribovics pulled away from a fading Kamuela Kirk to capture a unanimous decision in a lightweight clash. All three judges submitted 29-28 tallies in favor of “El Gringo,” who went the distance in victory for the first time in his professional tenure. Kirk was making his promotional debut at 155 pounds after his two previous bouts occurred at featherweight.

Kirk (12-6, 1-2 UFC) started quickly, as he landed a takedown and spent the majority of the opening stanza attached to his opponent’s back, hunting for the rear-naked choke. Ribovics (12-1, 1-1 UFC) took over from there, as he pressured Kirk with punching combinations to the head and body while denying the majority of his adversary’s takedown attempts. The Nova Uniao Argentina representative appeared to be on the verge of a finish in Round 2, when he stunned Kirk with a right hand to the temple, shoved his man to the floor and teed off with ground-and-pound. Kirk ultimately survived, but he couldn’t match Ribovics’ firepower down the stretch.