Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 12, 2023) at UFC Vegas 78 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a surprising wrestling match, Luque came out on top.
Luque began the fight with some hard round kicks. Dos Anjos pressured his foe towards the fence, landed a right hand, then timed a takedown attempt. Despite the deep shot, Luque managed to defend and escape to the clinch. Luque looked like the bigger man as they pushed and shoved by the fence. Dos Anjos scored a nice combination on the break of the clinch.
Back in the center, Luque started opening up with his hands. He scored a nice body shot to punctuate a combination. Dos Anjos attempted a takedown, but Luque stuffed him and landed his own double along the fence. After escaping a guillotine, Luque landed some decent shots before the bell.
“RDA” found the clinch early in the second, but Luque once again denied his shot. When they returned to the open, Luque was flowing and just touching his opponent. Dos Anjos responded with his first takedown of the fight, though Luque popped up immediately. Luque returned the favor and dragged his foe down very briefly. Luque forced him to the floor again, attempted a standing arm triangle briefly, then landed a good elbow.
It wasn’t a great round, but Luque took it.
Jabs from both Brazilians began the third with Luque landing more heavily. Another “RDA” takedown was stuffed, but he at least landed an elbow. Luque spun him around and took him down for a moment. When the two separated, dos Anjos scored with a nice left and a counter shot. Body kick scored for “RDA,” but another jab snapped his chin back. The two traded positions after a submission attempt from Luque in one of the better grappling exchanges of the fight.
Perhaps an “RDA” bounce back round? It was competitive.
Luque backed his foe towards the fence and landed early in the fourth. Then, “The Silent Assassin” scored a hard knee to the body and failed on a double leg attempt. His second takedown attempt a minute later was more successful, but he couldn’t hold dos Anjos down for long. The clinch war continued, and Luque did most of the pushing into the fence. Really, the whole round was a clinchfest: grueling but far from entertaining. Luque finished the round with one last takedown, hunting the rear naked choke.
Luque sticked and moved well early in the final frame until dos Anjos tried for another doomed takedown attempt. “RDA” just couldn’t handle the strength and size of his opponent in these clinch and takedown exchanges. When the two did separate, dos Anjos got his licks in, but the jab of Luque was the best weapon between them. Finally, dos Anjos gained top position in the closing 30 seconds of the fight, and he finished the round throwing elbows.
This wasn’t the war that fight fans were hoping for by any means. Large swaths of the fight took place along the fence, where Luque’s physicality allowed him to control dos Anjos more often than not. Unlike the co-main event, there was no controversy here, as Luque was awarded the unanimous decision win.
Result: Vicente Luque defeats Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision
For complete UFC Vegas 78: “Dos Anjos vs. Luque” results and play-by-play, click HERE!