Vincent Luque faces Rafael dos Anjos in this Saturday. (Photo: Facebook / @ufc
The main fight of UFC Las Vegas 78 will be crucial to the future of Vincent Luque in the welterweight division (up to 77,1kg). Against the former lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg) Rafael dos Anjos, the Brazilian fighter needs victory to prove that he can still fight for the category belt and also to not distance himself from the elite in this weight range.
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Hired by Ultimate in 2015 after participating in the twenty-first season of the reality show 'The Ultimate Fighter', Vicente had a meteoric rise in the organization by winning his first four fights, all by knockout or submission. However, in March 2017, the Brazilian was stopped by the then prospect Leon edwards and was defeated in a unanimous decision by the judges.
Vicente's career would begin to be marked by an unfortunate 'taboo'. The Brazilian fighter had a good winning streak in the division but always stopped when he approached the welterweight elite. After being defeated by Edwards, the 'Silent Assassin' had six more consecutive victories, five of which came via the fast track. However, in November 2019, he was stopped by former challenger Stephen Thompson in the unanimous decision of the judges.
Vicente Luque's sad 'taboo'
V. Luque defends B. Muhammad's kick in a UFC duel (Photo: Disclosure/UFC)
After the defeat to 'Wonderboy', the stakes for Vicente went up and he started a new sequence of four triumphs, however, now over big names like Niko Price, Randy Brown, Tyron woodley e Michael chiesa, all also via the fast lane. Deservedly, Luque reached the top-5 in the welterweight division.
In April 2022, Luque starred in his first main fight in Ultimate and faced the Palestinian descendant Belal Muhammad |. However, the Brazilian had an apathetic performance and was nullified by his rival, being defeated in a unanimous decision by the judges. Vicente's return to the octagon was quick, against Geoff neal, in August of the same year.
Against the experienced North American, Vicente showed another apathetic performance and was brutally knocked out in the third round, suffering two defeats in a row for the first time in seven years of Ultimate. To make matters worse, Luque also had to deal with a delicate brain hemorrhage that caused him to be away from the Octagon for just over a year.
No UFC Las Vegas 78, which takes place next Saturday (12), Luque will face a very complicated challenge in his quest to interrupt his sad negative sequence of results. On the other side of the Apex octagon, there will be Rafael dos Anjos, former lightweight champion who returned to the welterweight division with a victory over Bryan barberena.
The victory over Dos Anjos is essential for Vicente, who, if he loses, will move further away from the welterweight elite and will probably lose his place in the top-10 of the category. At 31 years of age, Luque arrives at a crucial moment where he will consolidate himself as a true contender for the belt or whether he will be 'just' a fighter marked by delivering a lot of entertainment in his fights.
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