Seattle, WA
Niko Price reacts to retirement interview snub at UFC Seattle
Niko Price’s retirement didn’t go as planned in every sense.
Price (16-11 MMA, 8-11 UFC) made his last MMA walkout this past Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle. He stepped in on short notice to fight Michael Chiesa, who is from Washington, and was also entering the last fight of his career. Price, like any retiring fighter, wanted to close out his career on a high, but unfortunately, he was quickly submitted by Chiesa in the first round. The loss wasn’t the only thing that didn’t go Price’s way.
After the fight, Price took off his gloves and laid them on the canvas – a tradition most fighters follow in their final bout. Yet, despite letting the UFC beforehand that he was retiring and making it known in the cage after the fight, he was passed over for an interview. The post-fight production focused on Chiesa, and was the only fighter to get time on the microphone.
“I had to stand there and watch his whole thing, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to get mic time.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, cool.’ Then I’m like, ‘Why am I not getting mic time?’” Price recalled speaking to Inside Fighting. “Then, I was like, ‘Whatever, don’t worry, but can I leave? I don’t want to stay here no more.’ Then I told my coach because they didn’t even send me off at all. They went to my gloves, and then they took a picture of him with my gloves. I was like, ‘Nooo, I wanted to do that picture with my gloves.’ He has his gloves on in the picture.”
It was an awkward moment. Many online criticized the UFC production team and Daniel Cormier for not acknowledging Price’s retirement.
Although Price didn’t get his ideal send-off, he’s happy with his decision to walk away from MMA. It was something he planned on doing, even before accepting the fight with Chiesa.
“It was mentioned probably like 10 days before the fight, ‘Would this be a possibility?’” Price said. “I said, ‘I have to talk to my team.’ At first I was like, ‘No,’ but then me and my wife started talking, and I was like, ‘I’m getting old, man. Everything hurts. I want to spend time with my kids and stop being so selfish and spending so much time with myself.’ She goes, ‘I don’t really want you to do it anymore and it’s getting really hard on my daughters.’ I mean, it’s hard on me too, man. Even though it was on seven days’ notice, still, losing sucks.”
Price debuted for the UFC in December 2016. He did so by pulling a big upset over then prospect Brandon Thatch at UFC 207. Price went on to fight in the UFC for a decade, compiling a record of 8-11. During his best stretch, which came early in his UFC run, Price was 4-1 with one victory getting overturned to a no contest due to a positive marijuana test. The Floridaman shared the cage with many notable names, including Robbie Lawler, Donald Cerrone, Vicente Luque, and Geoff Neal.
Moving forward, Price, 36, plans to focus on his fishing business, along with other things.
“Well, we already have the bait mobile, so I’m going to put a lot of time into that, the mobile bait,” Price explained. “So if you’re going fishing in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, call us up; we’ll bring you some shiners. Yeah, we’re pushing that. I have a couple of other things I’m pushing with my cousins. They own a couple of businesses, so I’m going to jump in with them and do some things. I’m definitely going to be coaching and teaching the stuff I’ve done.”
SEATTLE – After making one turn through a six-man rotation following the return of Bryce Miller, the Seattle Mariners are making a tweak for the next time through.
Seattle Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Cal Raleigh and more
Manager Dan Wilson said Friday the plan is for the club to piggyback Miller and fellow right-hander Luis Castillo during the next turn. The M’s have yet to decide which of the two will start.
“That’s the approach we’re going to take and we’re ready to roll,” Wilson said. “I think our guys are in a good spot in terms of getting an extra day here, and I think that’s gonna come up huge for some of these guys.”
Miller, who started the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain, made his season debut Wednesday night in Houston, tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball on 81 pitches. Castillo pitched Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings.
The pair is lined up to pitch Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox. Miller will have had five days of rest, while Castillo will have had the typical four.
Wilson said both players have been accepting of the decision.
“I think they were definitely in a good spot with it and understand it,” Wilson said. “And I think these guys, as we’ve talked about, these guys in this clubhouse, all of them want to do what’s best for the team. And these guys have really taken to that and they’re ready to go.”
Wilson acknowledged that a piggyback situation could get complicated by game flow and situations, but pointed to the potential benefit it could have in giving the bullpen a night off. Either way, it’s a situation that will be evolving for the club as they go.
“This is something that we haven’t done before, so it’s going to be a lot of waiting and seeing and understanding and assessing and making our adjustments as we go,” he said. “But in theory, you can lay it out, and you just don’t know how it’s actually going to play out. So we have to be open to different ways to proceeding, but we’ll take a look at it when we get there.”
The Mariners’ decision to go to a six-man rotation then a piggyback situation with Castillo and Miller come after widespread speculation about what the club’s plans would be when Miller returned from the IL.
When the season started, the assumption was right-hander Emerson Hancock would once again find himself as the odd man out when Miller returned. However, Hancock, a first-round pick at No. 6 overall in the 2020 draft, has earned himself a spot in the rotation during a breakout start to his season. In nine starts this year, he has a 3-2 record, 3.02 ERA and 56 strikeouts to 10 walks over 53 2/3 innings.
Castillo’s spot in the rotation started to come into question after the veteran started to struggle following a strong first start of the season. In seven starts from April 5-May 9, Castillo posted a 7.79 ERA over 32 1/3 innings and batters hit .329 against him. But his most recent start against Houston marked a step forward for the three-time All-Star and highest-paid pitcher on the Mariners’ roster.
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SEATTLE — Public Health – Seattle & King County officials are monitoring a fourth King County resident for possible exposure to the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, health officials said Friday.
The Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified local health officials on May 14 about the additional resident, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
RELATED | What exactly is hantavirus and how concerned should Washington residents be?
The resident did not travel on the cruise ship but was aboard a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with an ill cruise ship passenger before departure.
Officials said the sick passenger was removed from the aircraft before the flight left Johannesburg and later tested positive for the virus.
The infected passenger began traveling before the outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization.
The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection because they were not seated near the ill passenger, health officials said.
The resident has returned to King County, remains asymptomatic, and is monitoring for symptoms.
Earlier this week, Public Health announced that three King County residents were under monitoring for the Andes type of hantavirus.
Two of those residents had been seated near the infected passenger on the Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight. Both have returned home to King County, remain symptom-free, and are monitoring for symptoms in coordination with public health officials.
A third King County resident who was a passenger aboard the MV Hondius is being monitored alongside other American passengers at the national quarantine center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Officials said that the resident remains asymptomatic.
Health officials said there are currently no cases of Andes-type hantavirus in King County, and no residents are showing symptoms. The risk to the public remains low, officials said.
“We were informed yesterday of a fourth individual with a low-risk exposure and were able to reach the resident today,” Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement. “All our residents are following public health protocols, and the risk to the King County community remains low.”
Valenciano said monitoring exposed individuals allows health officials to support residents while ensuring early detection and rapid public health response if symptoms develop.
Hantavirus infections are rare but can cause severe illness.
The viruses are primarily spread through contact with wild rodents and exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva.
According to health officials, the Andes virus is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person, typically through close physical contact, prolonged exposure in enclosed spaces, or contact with body fluids from an infected person.
King County Metro will run two free shuttles in downtown Seattle this summer. The Waterfront Shuttle will operate everyday between May 21 and September 7. Buses will arrive every 15 minutes from 10am to 10pm.
This route travels between the Chinatown/ International District and Seattle Center, via Pioneer Square, the waterfront (Alaskan Way), and Belltown.
On days with a FIFA World Cup match, Metro will also run a Match Day Shuttle. The Match Day shuttle will run every 3-7 minutes on the dates listed below. This route runs between Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) and Seattle Center, via 3rd Ave.
The Match Day shuttle operates on: Both shuttle routes are free and will use ADA accessible buses. Everyone is welcome onboard, not just those attending the World Cup matches.
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