UFC welterweight Vicente Luque is looking to return to his favored fight style when he makes his way back to the Octagon tonight.
Prior to UFC Vegas 51 in April, Luque was riding an impressive four-fight win streak that included submissions victories over former champion Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa in 2021.
But while the Brazilian had hoped to make it five in a row and move closer to Kamaru Usman‘s title this year, that plan was stalled by Belal Muhammad. The pair ran it back in what was Luque’s first main event, with “Remember The Name” avenging his 2016 knockout loss to “The Silent Assassin” on the scorecards.
Having re-watched the disappointing setback, as he does all his fights, Luque has reached a unique conclusion about what went wrong, suggesting that he was ‘too strategic’.
Luque Targets A Return To Chaos
In 18 appearances inside the Octagon, Luque has firmly established himself as one of the promotion’s must-watch fighters. In 14 UFC wins, the Brazilian has recorded 13 finishes, with now-BKFC fighter Mike Perry, the only man to fall to defeat against Luque on the scorecards.
With that stoppage rate and excitement in mind, the #6-ranked welterweight acknowledges that his fight style is best suited for a chaotic environment, which was something that he failed to create last time out.
During a recent interview with LowKick MMA ahead of his return to action versus Geoff Neal tonight, Luque suggested that he’ll be entering the bout with less of a strategic and ‘intelligent’ mindset this time ’round.
“I believe I was too strategical in that fight against Belal,” Luque admitted. “That was something that, when I watch back all my fights… always, whenever I put out my aggression, and I got out there and fight kind of in a risky way, that’s positive for me. I thrive in chaos. I like that situation, so that’s where I’ve got to fight. Not too much intelligence and strategy — a little bit, but not too much.”
Luque will meet the #13-ranked Neal in tonight’s UFC Vegas 59 co-main event. While the Brazilian will be targeting an impressive rebound performance, “Handz of Steel” will look to use the momentum gained from a victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio last time out to take the Brazilian’s ranking.
How do you think the fight between Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal will play out?
