Tag: Vicente Luque

Exclusive | Vicente Luque Gives His Prediction For Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz: “He Still Can Go Out There & Surprise Everybody”

Vicente LuqueUFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque has given his take on an upcoming pivotal bout taking place in his own division. Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev is set to headline UFC 279 in September, with ‘Borz’ on the precipice of a title shot, whilst his opponent enters the final fight of his UFC contract. Vicente Luque […]

Vicente Luque

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque has given his take on an upcoming pivotal bout taking place in his own division. Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev is set to headline UFC 279 in September, with ‘Borz’ on the precipice of a title shot, whilst his opponent enters the final fight of his UFC contract.

Vicente Luque himself has a fight booked in the welterweight division. ‘The Silent Assasin’ will face off against Geoff Neal in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 59. Ahead of this fight, Luque sat down for a LowKickMMA exclusive interview, where he discussed the upcoming bout between Diaz and Chimaev. He stated:

“I’m always gonna expect Diaz to put on a tough fight. He’s very durable, he has great conditioning. He still has his tricky tools. But I would never put him as favorite for this fight. Not realistically right now, with how the division is moving, with what Chimaev has shown.”

Luque went on to compare Chimaev and Diaz to his teammate, Gilbert Burns:

“Watching the fight against Gilbert (Burns), I know who Gilbert is, I know how tough he is, and Chimaev went in there and survived. At the end of the day he got a win, and that shows a lot. I know how tough Gilbert is. I know that if I were going to say ‘whose at a higher level right now, Gilbert or Nate?’ Gilbert, all day. He’s at a much higher level.”

Luque does admit that Diaz has the potential upset, but is ultimately backing Khamzat Chimaev to get the win:

“I gotta put Chimaev as a favorite. I’m not gonna take Diaz’s tools, he still can go out there and surprise everybody. But if I had to put money, I don’t think I would put it on Diaz.”

Vicente Luque Reveals Who He Has Been Training With To Prepare For Geoff Neal

Vicente Luque will square off his fellow welterweight fan favorite Geoff Neal this weekend in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill. Both Luque and Neal are dangerous strikers who have plethoras of highlight reel KO’s on their records.

In order to prepare for Neal’s clinical southpaw stand-up game, Luque has been specially training with two UFC fighters who are both also southpaws, Danny ‘Hot Chocolate’ Roberts and Takeshi Sato. He stated that:

“I’ve been working a lot with the southpaws, so Danny (Roberts) has been a big guy to help me out a lot. He’s a great southpaw, he has that great striking, so he has been helping me out. And also (Takeshi) Sato. Sato will be fighting on the same night as me, so we’re kind of in the same timeline physically, we are both in shape. So he has been helping me a lot also because he is southpaw as well.”

How do you see Diaz vs. Chimaev playing out? Do you fancy Luque & Sato’s chances this weekend?

Exclusive | Vicente Luque Talks Training With Shavkat Rakhmonov: “I Don’t Mind Training With Guys That I’m Gonna Fight”

Vicente LuqueThe UFC’s No. 6 ranked welterweight Vicente Luque recently spoke to Mike Owens with LowKick MMA to discuss all things MMA. Eventually, the conversation turned to rising contender Shavkat Rakhmonov who trains with ‘The Silent Assasin.’ Luque was asked about his observations while training with the Kazakhstani fighter. “He’s really good. I’ve trained with him. […]

Vicente Luque

The UFC’s No. 6 ranked welterweight Vicente Luque recently spoke to Mike Owens with LowKick MMA to discuss all things MMA. Eventually, the conversation turned to rising contender Shavkat Rakhmonov who trains with ‘The Silent Assasin.’ Luque was asked about his observations while training with the Kazakhstani fighter.

“He’s really good. I’ve trained with him. I’ve mostly grappled with him, but I’ve seen him sparring a lot. I sparred him a few rounds, but we were always in different moments. Like, I was not in training camp and he was right at the last weeks of training camp so he wasn’t going with everybody. Mostly with guys that had the style of his opponent, but I got to grapple with him and he’s a beast in grappling and he’s super technical striking. I’ve watched him on the pads with Henry Hooft and yeah, he’s a beast. He definitely is a beast, you know.”

Vicente Luque addressed the possibility of facing Shavkat Rakhmonov down the line and if that would be awkward considering the two train together at Kill Cliff FC, formerly known as Sanford MMA in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

“I mean, that happens all the time. That’s something that we can’t avoid as fighters. We know that eventually, we’re going to have to fight each other. It’s something that, in a way, doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind training with guys that I’m gonna fight. Obviously not for that specific training camp, but in other moments, for me it is what it is. We’re not gonna get much from training against each other.”

Vicente Luque Believes Fighting Those You Train With is Inevitable

“The biggest fight I want is against Kamaru Usman and I’ve trained years with him. We know a lot about each other from training, but it’s totally different when it’s fight night. So yeah, I think one day it could happen and if it does, it is what it is. That’s how Sanford [MMA] is right now. So much talent. So many good guys. We could be seeing guys like Logan [Storley] and Jason Jackson for example fighting for that Bellator title. It’s how it works.”

The last time we saw Vicente Luque in the Octagon, his four-fight win streak was snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Belal Muhammad.

Debuting for the promotion at UFC 254 in October 2020, Shavkat Rakhmonov has been nothing short of spectacular. In four appearances, ‘Nomad’ has four straight wins, all coming by way of finish. Yet to see the third round in his UFC career, Rakhmonov has three victories via submission and one by knockout. His biggest win yet came against Neil Magny at a UFC Fight Night in June.

The win over Magny thrust Rakhmonov into the top ten rankings. With Vicente Luque sitting in the No. 6 spot, it’s quite possible that the two could meet each other inside the Octagon at some point. While Rakhmonov is hot off the heels of the biggest win of his career, Luque is preparing to get back into the win column against Geoff Neal on August 6th.

‘Handz of Steel’ will look to break into the top ten with a big win over Luque while ‘The Silent Assassin’ hopes to score another win on his way to a shot against reigning champion Kamaru Usman. Assuming ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ gets past his next test in Leon Edwards at UFC 278.

Muhammad Shares Moment He Wondered If The UFC Hated Him

Belal Muhammad has worked hard to earn his #5 ranking in the UFC’s welterweight division, but there were times on the way up where he questioned his employer’s intentions. “Remember the Name” joined former UFC fighter-turned-comedian Brendan Schaub on a recent edition of Schaub’s Food Truck Diaries Youtube series. When they weren’t sampling Mexican food,…

Continue Reading Muhammad Shares Moment He Wondered If The UFC Hated Him at MMA News.

Belal Muhammad has worked hard to earn his #5 ranking in the UFC’s welterweight division, but there were times on the way up where he questioned his employer’s intentions.

“Remember the Name” joined former UFC fighter-turned-comedian Brendan Schaub on a recent edition of Schaub’s Food Truck Diaries Youtube series. When they weren’t sampling Mexican food, the two discussed Muhammad’s UFC career and current run of success.

When Schaub pointed out how difficult Muhammad’s last few opponents have been, the 33-year-old admitted to feeling the UFC might be out to get him with his last fight against Vicente Luque.

“That was the fight where I was like, ‘Man, does the UFC hate me?’ Muhammad said about the matchup. “I was like, they have to have something against me. You know, you give me Maia, I beat Maia. One of the best grapplers to have ever fought in the UFC. Then you give me Wonderboy, who’s one of the best strikers to have ever fought in the UFC. Then you’re like, ‘All right well dang, he got past those two. Lemme give him somebody that knocked him out.’ Somebody that, one of the best finishers — I think — one of the best finishers in the welterweight division at all.”

The 33-year-old earned a five-round decision over Luque in their main event bout earlier this year. That fight was a rematch of their 2016 meeting, which Luque won via first-round knockout.

“Remember the Name” rebounded from that Luque loss with four-straight wins before losing a decision to Geoff Neal in 2019. He’s gone unbeaten through eight fights since then, winning every bout aside from a 2021 No Contest when Leon Edwards poked him in the eye.

With Edwards set to challenge welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Muhammad is currently waiting for a matchup with one of the division’s remaining Top 5.

What do you think of Muhammad’s comments about the UFC’s matchmaking for his last fight?

Continue Reading Muhammad Shares Moment He Wondered If The UFC Hated Him at MMA News.

Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th. News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he…

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th.

News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he had won four straight to get back into the welterweight title picture.

Along with picking up wins over Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa, Luque served as the UFC 268 backup to the highly-anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Both fighters made it to Fight Night without issues but Luque was the ‘Plan B’ in case either pulled out.

Luque will face a tough task in the form of Neal, who rebounded from back-to-back losses to earn a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. He has picked up wins over the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Muhammad over his UFC tenure.

Neal earned a shot in the UFC after a first-round knockout of Chase Waldon on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

A location and venue have yet to be determined for the planned Luque vs. Neal headliner, but it could take place outside of Las Vegas and the UFC Apex. The promotion has slowly but surely gotten back to hosting some UFC Fight Night events around the world, including London.

The winner of the Luque/Neal matchup will move back into the UFC welterweight title discussion and could be one more win away from a potential title shot.

What are your thoughts on the planned Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal matchup?

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th. News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he…

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

A UFC welterweight showdown between dangerous contenders Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal is reportedly in the works for August 6th.

News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Luque is looking to get back in the win column after a tough loss to Belal Muhammad just weeks ago. Before that, he had won four straight to get back into the welterweight title picture.

Along with picking up wins over Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa, Luque served as the UFC 268 backup to the highly-anticipated rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Both fighters made it to Fight Night without issues but Luque was the ‘Plan B’ in case either pulled out.

Luque will face a tough task in the form of Neal, who rebounded from back-to-back losses to earn a split decision win over Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269. He has picked up wins over the likes of Mike Perry, Niko Price, and Muhammad over his UFC tenure.

Neal earned a shot in the UFC after a first-round knockout of Chase Waldon on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017.

A location and venue have yet to be determined for the planned Luque vs. Neal fight, but it could take place outside of Las Vegas and the UFC Apex. The promotion has slowly but surely gotten back to hosting some UFC Fight Night events around the world, including London.

The winner of the Luque/Neal matchup will move back into the UFC welterweight title discussion and could be one more win away from a potential title shot.

What are your thoughts on the planned Vicente Luque vs. Geoff Neal matchup?

Continue Reading Vicente Luque Vs. Geoff Neal Targeted For August 6th UFC Fight Night at MMA News.

5 Fights We Need to See After Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad Card

The Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad II card went down Saturday night in Las Vegas, and while the event was decidedly lacking in terms of big names, it still opened the door to some interesting matchups…

The Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad II card went down Saturday night in Las Vegas, and while the event was decidedly lacking in terms of big names, it still opened the door to some interesting matchups…