Niko Price says he quit smoking weed after being suspended twice

UFC welterweight fighter Niko Price says he quit smoking weed after being suspended following his fight against Donald Cerrone last year.

Price tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his draw with Donald Cerrone last September. The result of the bout was overturned to a No Contest and Price was fined and suspended for six months after the commission found traces of THC in his drug test. This was the second time in Price’s career that he was sanctioned for his marijuana use. Back in 2017, Price knocked out Alex Morono in his UFC debut but the result of the fight was overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for marijuana. After being hit hard in the pocketbook twice for smoking up, Price says that he’s done with smoking weed now.

Speaking to reporters on the same day that the Nevada State Athletic Commission took marijuana off of its banned substances list, Price admitted that he won’t be taking advantage of the new rules allowing him to smoke because he says he quit smoking.

“It doesn’t matter anymore – I completely quit. I’ve been sober almost since the beginning of the break, so there’s a new person here and a different animal onstage,” Price said (h/t MMAFighting).

According to Price, being suspended for six months and fined $8500 for his last infraction was enough for “The Hybrid” to realize that he needed to cut down on his smoking. As far as the Florida native goes, quitting smoking will result in a new and improved fighter.

“It opened my eyes to how much money I spent on it and how much money I had to pay the commission. So I’m just a better person now, 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 said.

Niko Price returns to the Octagon when he fights Michel Pereira on Saturday night at UFC 264.