Tag: Vincente Luque

Muhammad Unwilling To Be Official Backup To Usman vs. Edwards

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad isn’t interested in being an official backup for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, but he is open to fighting on the same card. In an interview with MMA Junkie where Muhammad also left Kamaru Usman off his welterweight Mount Rushmore, “Remember the Name” was asked…

Continue Reading Muhammad Unwilling To Be Official Backup To Usman vs. Edwards at MMA News.

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad isn’t interested in being an official backup for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, but he is open to fighting on the same card.

In an interview with MMA Junkie where Muhammad also left Kamaru Usman off his welterweight Mount Rushmore, “Remember the Name” was asked if he’d be willing to weigh in as a backup for the planned welterweight title fight between Usman and Edwards.

Muhammad was quick to dismiss the idea of being a backup.

“I’d rather be on the card with them,” Muhammad said. “I don’t want to make weight just to make weight,” Muhammad said. If I’m on a card with them, I’d rather have that. I’ll be on the same card and then if one of them ends up pulling out, I’ll hop in that way.

“If you’re really thinking about it, if I do end up fighting [Khamzat] Chimaev or something, training for him would be the same as training for Usman,” Muhammad explained.

(Alex Behunin/Cageside Press)

Competing in the UFC since 2016 and currently on a three-fight win streak, the 33-year-old Muhammad understands the value of a chance at the title.

When asked if he thought that fighters who weigh-in as backups are mentally and physically prepared to fight, Muhammad provided the following response.

“For me, to get my first title shot and get a chance at it, I’d want it to be legit where I know for 8 weeks that’s all I’m focused on.”

Currently the UFC’s #5-ranked welterweight, Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad earned a unanimous decision victory in his most recent fight against Vincente Luque last month.

In addition to it being Muhammad’s second UFC main event, the Chicago native also avenged his 2016 knockout loss to Luque. Muhammad is currently on a three-fight win streak after his 2021 bout with Leon Edwards was stopped due to an eye poke and declared a No Contest.

If Muhammad really does intend to fight on the same card as Usman vs. Edwards, he’ll have to wait until the fight has a confirmed date. There’s also the question of the opponent, as there are very few welterweights ranked above him following that win over Luque.

With Edwards set to challenge Usman for the title and Gilbert Burns coming off a loss to Khamzat Chimaev, Colby Covington and Chimaev appear to be the only matchups that make sense if Muhammad wants to keep climbing the welterweight rankings.

What do you think of Muhammad’s comments on the idea of weighing in as a backup fighter?

Continue Reading Muhammad Unwilling To Be Official Backup To Usman vs. Edwards at MMA News.

Vicente Luque Calls On The UFC To Book ‘No Brainer’ Nate Diaz Fight

Vicente LuqueTop welterweight contender Vicente Luque has been campaigning for a Nate Diaz fight for well over a year at this point. Two of the most exciting fighters in the sport have both seemed to pique some interest lately in facing each other maybe even by the end of 2021. Luque was asked about the Diaz […]

Vicente Luque

Top welterweight contender Vicente Luque has been campaigning for a Nate Diaz fight for well over a year at this point. Two of the most exciting fighters in the sport have both seemed to pique some interest lately in facing each other maybe even by the end of 2021. Luque was asked about the Diaz rumors when speaking to MMA Fighting.

“He’s a great fighter, he’s a legend,” Vicente Luque said about Diaz. “Having that on my resume, that’s huge for me. The other thing is he has that status. He is the gangster. He goes in there and he fights and he goes forward and always he will fight till the last second with all the heart he has and I want to go and step in there with a guy like that and show that I can do that and maybe I can do that even better than he does.

“I think it’s about my legacy, about showing what my style is against a tough guy like Nate. Against a guy that has already proved he’s one of the toughest in the sport. That’s what this fight is for me.”

“I’m really interested in this fight,” Luque told MMA Fighting. “I know that Nate is interested as well. So I think it’s the fight to make. We’re waiting. I let my manager Ali [Abdelaziz] [know], he knows that I want that fight. He’s working on it.

“Nate has clearly shown he wants that fight, he wants to make it happen. I think it’s up to the UFC to make it happen, set a date for us and I think it’s a big fight. I’m sure the fans are going to enjoy it. They’re going to want to watch that one. Even though it’s the last month of the year December, we still can catch that Fight of the Year possible contender. I would love to have that fight.”

Diaz even tweeted the video of Luque talking about him in a post-fight presser a few months ago.

Luque believes Diaz could be the perfect matchup for him as the welterweight division being all booked up at the top.

“It’s the perfect matchup for me right now, considering I don’t have many different names I can face,” Luque said. “Edwards doesn’t want to fight anybody or he might fight [Jorge] Masvidal, we don’t know what’s going to go on with that. I would love to have a rematch against him but it doesn’t seem likely. I’m not going to fight Burns everybody knows that. We’re brothers and that’s not going to happen. Colby [Covington] is lined up with Kamaru [Usman] so Nate is a guy, he has a big name, he has been doing a lot in my division and in the history of the UFC.

“It’s a big fight for me. I would love that. I think that the fans would love it. It makes sense for me. I think it would make sense for the UFC as well.”

Luque went as far as to say that he feels he and Diaz could be more than the five-round 25-minute limit. He believes they could go as many as 10 rounds in their fight, which would be quite the show for fans.

“I want to fight five rounds to see how it is, especially possibly fighting for the title after another fight,” Luque said. “I would love to have a five rounder. I know Nate likes to have five rounds so let’s do that.

“I even threw out there we could do 10 rounds and I’m serious about that. Maybe six, seven, eight rounds, something different if they want to throw it in just to make it special, I would be down for that as well.”

While there have been no offers put on the table quite yet for either fighter, Luque feels the time to make it is now and seems adamant about making it happen for the fans.

“It’s something that we both want, me and Nate want,” Luque said. “It’s likely to happen. I mean we’ve got to wait for the UFC. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that are going to make the fight happen. I don’t know.

“I think that it’s kind of like a no brainer for the UFC. Two tough guys that want to face each other and it’s going to be a banger of a fight. The fans will enjoy it. It only makes sense for it to happen so we’ll see.”

It’s hard to deny, this would be a big-time fight and one that would not disappoint the fans. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out and if these contracts eventually get offered.

Do you think we see Vicente Luque vs Nate Diaz?

Tyron Woodley Releases Statement Following Loss At UFC 260

Tyron WoodleyTyron Woodley has released a statement after his submission loss to Vincente Luque at UFC 260. (H/T MMAFighting.) Woodley lost his fourth consecutive fight in the co-main event of UFC 260 when Vincente Luque, rocked and then submitted the former UFC Welterweight Champion. Woodley had made a much more positive start than his three previous […]

Tyron Woodley

Tyron Woodley has released a statement after his submission loss to Vincente Luque at UFC 260. (H/T MMAFighting.)

Woodley lost his fourth consecutive fight in the co-main event of UFC 260 when Vincente Luque, rocked and then submitted the former UFC Welterweight Champion.

Woodley had made a much more positive start than his three previous losses, he was aggressive and on the front foot from the first buzzer. The American tagged Luque with a hook early on which appeared to have the Brazilian hurt, however Woodley then left himself open whilst attempting to find the finish, which led to Woodley being rocked and then subsequently finished.

The fight between Luque and Woodley did earn the fight of the night bonus meaning Woodley took home an additional $50,000 for the performance.

Tyron Woodley posted a statement to Instagram after the fight.

‘Sh*t was going really well until it wasn’t. My camp pushed me in ways I haven’t been pushed in a while.’

‘I Committed, and swore to myself I would bring the tiger out that earned me gold. I saw the opportunity for the KO and got too excited. Payed a big cost.’

Woodley then went on to say he didn’t regret his aggression in the fight and paid tribute to 29-year-old Vincente Luque.

‘I don’t regret my aggression as that’s what God created me to do. Vincente Luque is a tough and humble fighter. Was an honour to share the cage with you tonight.’

It was a much more positive performance while it lasted for Woodley however there are now doubts over whether he will fight again in the UFC with Dana White indicating he won’t.

Responding to being asked if Woodley would fight again White said: “How old is Tyron now? 39 and he’s 0-4 (in his last four fights.)”

Would you like to see Tyron Woodley call time on his MMA career?

Five Biggest Takeaways From UFC Chile

A lot happened during the UFC’s first-ever event in Chile…

The post Five Biggest Takeaways From UFC Chile appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The UFC’s first-ever event in Chile ended up being better than initially advertised, as the relatively low-key card delivered in terms of excitement.

Contenders put on huge performances, prospects emerged to become contenders themselves, and the entire card featured a handful of brutal finishes. What more can you ask for from a free card on FOX Sports 1? Not much, but overall the event most likely didn’t drive the needle in terms of exposure.

Regardless, there were some great finishes and some great victories from many of the less heralded fighters on the card. Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from the UFC’s first foray into Chile.

Vicente Luque
Mandatory Credit: Jason Silva of USA TODAY Sports

5. Vincente Luque Makes Huge Statement

Brazilian-American Vincente Luque scored another emphatic first-round knockout victory against Chad Laprise to open up the main card, sending the Chilean crowd into a frenzy.

Luque has somewhat quietly stayed under the radar at welterweight, despite the fact that the man is a known finisher who sports a 6-2 UFC record. Luque has a penchant for D’arce and anaconda chokes and knockout power in both hands, and seems destined to become a contender at this rate.

Luque’s first-round KO over Laprise was a big statement for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) alum and he should be inching his way to a top 10 opponent with performances like this.

Luque vs. Mike Perry seems appropriate for both men.

The post Five Biggest Takeaways From UFC Chile appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Vicente Luque Training Video Shows You Why Guys Are Getting Brain Damage In The Gym

As we move further into the future of MMA and watch the sport grow into an absolute powerhouse, the issues of health and wellness for the athletes that make this sport so great is beginning to take center stage. CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy), is a rising concern in contact sports. A degenerative disease that is brought on due to brain trauma, you can certainly bet that mixed martial artists and other combat sport participants are potential victims that this degenerative ailment will effect.

The post Vicente Luque Training Video Shows You Why Guys Are Getting Brain Damage In The Gym appeared first on Cagepotato.

As we move further into the future of MMA and watch the sport grow into an absolute powerhouse, the issues of health and wellness for the athletes that make this sport so great is beginning to take center stage. CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy), is a rising concern in contact sports. A degenerative disease that is brought on due to brain trauma, you can certainly bet that mixed martial artists and other combat sport participants are potential victims that this degenerative ailment will effect.

All that being said, fighters are still going to fight, boxers box, football players…football, and really that’s their right. If they’re aware of the risk and still go through with it then it can’t be helped. It’s their right after all. But it makes the importance of training smart all the more paramount in a sport where contact is absolutely certain. Which brings us to Vicente Luque and the brilliant sparring session caught on film last week.

The video of Vicente features the UFC welterweight in a hard sparring session with a training partner at Cerrado MMA. The two fighters throw caution to the wind and decide to bring the heat during their sparring session. It’s not uncommon to go through hard sparring during a training camp, but there’s hard sparring and then there whatever it is these guys decided to do. Check it out below.

Training hard, especially if you’re going to enter into a combat situation, is certainly an important aspect of training. It teaches you to be calm under heavy fire and that you won’t break under pressure when the going gets rough. That being said, there’s a point of diminishing returns and continuous hard sparring, particularly in the gym, can lead to severe brain injury. Surprisingly most damage is done in the gym and if this kind of hard training trend continues then you can be sure that CTE cases will be on the rise in MMA.

What do you think of Vincente Luque and his hard sparring session?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post Vicente Luque Training Video Shows You Why Guys Are Getting Brain Damage In The Gym appeared first on Cagepotato.