Vicente Luque shows strength, but loses to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244

S. Thompson (photo) defeats V. Luque in UFC 244. Photo: Reproduction Facebook UFC)

The Brazilian Vincent Luque and the North American Stephen Thompson put on a real show UFC 244, held this Saturday (2), in New York. With three rounds of great action, the audience was thrilled with the battle between the two combatants. At the end of the match, the judges unanimously gave Thompson the victory.

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The match against Stephen had been a personal request from Luque, after the Brazilian hit Mike Perry at UFC Uruguay. In a good phase of his career, the Brasilia native wanted to face an elite athlete in the category and his request was granted.

In the duel, Vicente showed his usual disposition and race, but it was not enough to beat the experience of the North American, who managed to nullify Luque's actions in most of the fight. With a sharp counterattack, Thompson came close to a knockout twice in the confrontation.

The setback for the North American interrupted a streak of six consecutive victories for the Brazilian native. As a result, Vicente will have to wait a while to return to the front of the category, which is currently dominated by Kamaru Usman.

For Stephen, the triumph over Luque made the athlete recover from two consecutive setbacks and puts an end to a delicate phase of the former division title challenger's career. In the last five engagements, the North American had won on only one occasion.

The fight

The Brazilian took the initiative in the fight by delivering two low kicks to Thompson. The North American immediately responded with the same action. Stephen started the fight by betting on the counterattack, changing base and trying to attract Vicente into his zone of action. Luque continued to rely on low kicks to fend off his opponent, but Thompson continued to be dangerous with his counterattacks. The fight remained tense, with both fighters waiting for the best moment to unleash incisive blows. The Brasilia native continued trying to trap his opponent against the bars and, in a sequence of punches, made his rival feel it. Vicente continued walking forward without being intimidated by Stephen. In the final seconds, the North American grew in combat, but there was no more time.

Thompson started the second round by throwing a round kick at Luque's waistline. Confident in the counterattack, the North American began to hit the Brazilian more frequently with jabs and direct shots, which began to hurt the Brazilian's face. Vicente, however, showed resistance and continued chasing his opponent around the Octagon. After two minutes, Thompson continued attacking the Brazilian, who felt and began to protect himself from the North American's pressure. Even at a disadvantage, Luque continued attacking and the fight became dangerous for both of them. In the final minute, Vicente's face was already bleeding considerably. Stephen continued to put pressure on the Tupiniquim athlete, which he felt, but didn't give up.

For the last assault, Luque needed to recover from the damage suffered in the interior assault. As Vicente tried to launch a direct shot, Thompson fired another direct hit, which touched the Brazilian and took him to the ground. The American tried to continue hitting Luque, but the athlete defended himself well to the point that Stephen moved away and allowed the Tupiniquim to get up. More comfortable in combat, Thompson began to loosen up in the duel and frequently connected blunt blows to Vicente's body. Losing the duel, Vicente showed a lot of heart and continued trying to connect sequences of blows on his rival. In the final minute, Stephen hit another direct shot, which again shook the Brazilian. Visibly bewildered, Luque tried to recover, but he no longer had the strength to continue the fight efficiently.

In a warm fight, Derrick Lewis defeats Blagoy Ivanov in a split decision

D. Lewis emerges victorious on points in the UFC 244. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc

PUBLICITY:

The duel between the heavyweights Derrick Lewis e Blagoy Ivanov It didn't end with a knockout as many imagined. In the meeting between two athletes with great knockout power, the combatants bet heavily on grappling and, after three rounds of even fighting, the decision went to the North American in a split decision.

The triumph marked Lewis' return to winning. The giant was coming off two consecutive defeats within the division.

The athletes started the fight by studying hard. One minute into the contest, no blows had been struck by the athletes. When Lewis went to risk a kick to Ivanov's waist, the Bulgarian grabbed Derrick's legs and took the fight to the ground. When Blagoy attempted a submission, Lewis exploded and managed to get up. Then, he attacked his rival in frank exchanges. As few expected, the duel was being fought in a grappling match and the giants exchanged few effective blows.

In the second round, the heavyweights once again risked grappling. After a distraction from his rival, Derrick attacked Blagoy, delivering a great sequence of blows that shook the Bulgarian. Lewis, however, seems to have tired and was taken to the ground by his rival. Again, the American almost suffered a submission, but, again, he exploded and managed to get up. In the final minute, Derrick went after the opponent again, who tried to defend himself as best he could and absorbed the giant's attacks.

Both fighters returned to the last round visibly more worn out. Saving energy, the athletes released few blows in the opening minute. Without much action, the athletes remained clinging close to the railing and the public began to demonstrate negatively. After moving away, Derrick attacked Ivanov again with a series of punches, but the blows went empty. Blagoy then tried to stop Lewis' actions, pressing his opponent against the cage. In the final seconds, Derrick started striking and hit his opponent, but there was no more time.

UFC 244 results

MAIN CARD

Welterweight (up to 77kg): Jorge masvidal  derrotou Nate diaz by technical knockout (medical interruption) 5m from R3

Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Darren till derrotou Kelvin Gastelum in the judges' split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)

Welterweight (up to 77kg): Stephen Thompson derrotou Vincent Luque in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-26,30-26, 29-27)

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Derrick Lewis derrotou Blagoy Ivanov in the judges' split decision (30-27 28-29 29-28)

Light weight (up to 70,3kg): Kevin Lee derrotou Gregor Gillespie by knockout at 2:47 of R1

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light heavyweight (up to 93kg): Corey anderson derrotou Johnny Walker by knockout at 2m07s of R1

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Shane burgos derrotou mawan amirkhani by knockout at 4m32s of R3.

Average weight (up to 83,9kg): Edmen shahbazyan derrotou Brad Tavares by knockout at 2m27s of R1.

Heavy weight (up to 120,2kg): Jairzinho Rozenstruik derrotou Andrei Arlovski by knockout 29s into R1.

Flyweight (up to 56,7kg): Katlyn chookagian derrotou Jennifer maia in the unanimous decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Welterweight (up to 77kg): Lyman Good defeated Chance Rencountre by knockout at 2:03 of R3

Featherweight (up to 65,7kg): Hakeem dawodu derrotou Julio Maple in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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