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Vicente Luque looks back on his UFC 244 unanimous decision defeat to Stephen Thompson.
Welterweight prospect Vicente Luque’s six-fight winning streak came to a resounding halt last Saturday. Paired up against former title challenger Stephen Thompson, the ‘Silent Assassin’ was dominated in a three-round striking clinic put on by ‘Wonderboy’ at UFC 244, which led to a unanimous decision loss for the Brazilian.
In an interview with Ag Fight, Luque recognized Thompson’s technical superiority and took the loss as a learning experience, which taught him to be more patient and better prepared for his future challenges.
“I think patience is the biggest lesson I take from this fight,” Luque said. “Many times we think we can solve something through brute force and will. There, I learned that I had all the will and it wasn’t enough, he beat me with technique and experience. I’ll keep that in mind so I can work on it and evolve.
“It has been an intense year,” he continued. “I fought four times, I wanted to give it my all so I could grow, but it didn’t end as I wanted. I showed what I can do, though, I went against one of the best in the world and I was awarded a ‘fight of the night’ bonus for the third time this year, That’s my style’s merit, I was able to put on pressure even against a technical guy, I landed good shots. I showed I’m on the right path. Now I want to rest and correct a lot of things.”
Before the loss to Thompson, Vicente Luque (17-7-1) was on a six-fight winning streak, which included five finishes and only one decision victory. During this time, the 27-year-old beat names such as Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Bryan Barberena. Luque’s last loss prior to the one at UFC 244 happened March 2017, when he dropped a unanimous decision to another contender in Leon Edwards.