Athletes
Vicente Luque: Expect Fireworks
New Jersey-born Brazilian Says He Has The Perfect Dance Partner To Reignite His Run To The Top At 170 pounds.
To say Vicente Luque’s recent career has been a rollercoaster would be an understatement.
Heading into 2022, the Brazilian, who had built a name for himself as a dangerous, well-rounded competitor who is equally capable of putting away elite fighters with strikes or submissions, was sitting in the UFC rankings and plotting a run towards the top of the division.
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But the best laid plans don’t always come to fruition. Luque suffered back-to-back losses to Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal, with his defeat to Neal resulting in the first knockout loss of his career and leaving him sidelined due to injury.
One year later, after making a full recovery, he made his UFC comeback against former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. It was an acid test for Luque, and he passed with flying colors as he picked up a unanimous decision victory to get his career back up and running.
Chatting to UFC.com in Atlantic City ahead of his upcoming bout with Joaquin Buckley, Luque admitted that his full focus was on not just getting back into the Octagon, but returning with a win, then getting another fight booked as quickly as possible. In short, make up for lost time.
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“The one year off I had before RDA just filled me with a lot of desire to fight,” he explained.
“That’s why I had that big win against RDA and I wanted to jump right back in. I got a fight in December (but) it didn't happen, but I’ve just been wanting to show my development, because I've trained so much (and) I've developed so much since the Geoff Neal fight up to now. That’s why I want to fight so much and show the fans everything, all my new tools, all that I can do, and get after that title, because I know I have everything I need to be a champion.”
Vicente Luque's New Jersey Pride | UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot
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Vicente Luque's New Jersey Pride | UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot
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The December fight Luque mentioned was a planned UFC 296 matchup with rising contender Ian Machado Garry, which fell by the wayside due to the Irishman contracting pneumonia. Then, when the UFC announced their return to Atlantic City, Luque got the call to face fellow contender Sean Brady.
It was the chance for New Jersey-born Luque to compete in his home state, but those plans were thrown into the air when Brady withdrew from the matchup. Thankfully, Luque has remained on the card, and will now face hard-hitting former middleweight Buckley.
“It's been a crazy couple of months, but, at the same time, I feel like as a fighter I've just been developing and getting better. For the whole training camp for Ian (Machado Garry), I didn't get to fight, but still, I got that evolution, I became a better fighter.
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“Then I was scheduled to fight Sean Brady. That didn't happen. It was going to be in a main event, and I was so excited for that, but still, it didn't happen.
“My mentality was, 'Let's keep on training. I want to fight in Atlantic City.' It's a big card for me. And then they found Buckley for me, and I said 'Yeah. Let’s do it.'"
Going from booked matchups against ranked opposition to a dangerous short-notice assignment against an unranked knockout artist seems like a dangerous proposition, but it’s a challenge Luque is excited to face head-on this weekend at UFC Atlantic City.
“It’s a guy that is not ranked, but he has a lot of hype behind him,” he explained.
“He's a wild fighter – not many guys want to fight him. So I'm like, 'Hey, why not go out there and beat this guy that a lot of guys are afraid of, and just make a statement?'
“I’m a fighter. That's what I do – I fight. Buckley is a guy that is dangerous, is exciting. A lot of people have his back. A lot of fans want to watch this fight. Me and him, when you see it on paper, it’s a fireworks fight, so I’m like, 'Why not? Let’s have this fight.'
RELATED: Vicente Luque's Career Highlights
“And I believe this fight is going to move me forward, especially considering the division right now. We have Leon (Edwards) as champion, Belal (Muhammad) might be next, we have new names (like) Jack Della Maddalena, we have Shavkat (Rakhmonov).
“There’s so much movement in the division. It’s better for me to fight somebody that’s going to bring a lot of eyes, and be moving with the division, than just be waiting for the perfect opponent with a number and the ranked guy that I want. Hey, I gotta move! I’ve gotta fight, keep myself active and try to get those fights up there.”
Luque has taken the change in opponent in his stride, and that approach has also applied to his preparations at Kill Cliff FC, where a training room packed with welterweight talent was on hand to give him whatever looks he needs in sparring.
“Yeah, I've been training with a lot of guys there at Kill Cliff, especially the southpaws, because Buckley is a southpaw,” he said.
“Yusaku Kinoshita – he’s a very young, up-and-coming Japanese fighter, a beast – he has helped me a lot for this fight. Also, Ange (Loosa), right before he got to fight a week or two ago, he was helping me, as well. A very explosive, very strong fighter.”
Explosive and strong are two words that could certainly be applied to Buckley, who has looked outstanding since making the move down from middleweight to welterweight last year. Luque has certainly been impressed with what he’s seen from “New Mansa” since he made the drop to 170 pounds.
“I’ve watched a lot of his fights before he moved down (to welterweight) and now, after he moved down, and I think it was a great move by him,” said Luque.
Luque vs Buckley Co-Main Event Preview | UFC Atlantic City
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Luque vs Buckley Co-Main Event Preview | UFC Atlantic City
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"He looks sharper. It's more his size, you know? He's more the size of all the other fighters, and he's still strong, he still brings that power that is characteristic of him. So I think it was a good move by him, and now he's going to get to test himself against one of the best in the division.”
Luque is clearly in a great frame of mind ahead of the bout, and he said the fans can expect an all-action clash between two fan-friendly fighters when he faces off with Buckley in Saturday night’s co-headliner.
“I see a fight with a lot of action,” he said.
“I’m the kind of fighter, I don't know how to fight in another way that is not putting pressure, moving forward and looking for a finish. And Buckley is a guy that goes in there and throws power – he wants to take guys out. So, when I look at it, it's gonna be a war, it's gonna be a battle.
“If he can withstand everything that I'm going to bring to the table and it goes to the end, it’s going to be a back-and-forth battle. And I'm looking to put on a Fight of the Night.
“If not, I'm going to be looking to put on a Performance of the Night and a finish, because that's always what I'm going to try.
“Finally, getting back into the Octagon and putting on a show for everybody is gonna be starting off 2024 the perfect way, and starting that run for the title, because that's what I believe this is – the beginning of my run for the title.”
UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Fiorot took place live from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
