If Vicente Luque was supposed to lose at UFC 265, nobody let him know about it. The Brazilian came out and put it on Michael Chiesa, ending the American’s night early via d’arce choke.
The welterweight showdown between Luque and Chiesa had the possibility to land the winner in title contention. And Luque clearly knew it.
While Kamaru Usman was already booked into a hotly anticipated rematch with Colby Covington planned for later this year, a statement win Saturday may have put Vicente Luque on the fast-track.
Luque took the center of the octagon quickly and forced Chiesa to circle around the octagon to stay away from Luque’s power. Throughout the round Luque held his right hand loaded as a distraction to land calf kicks on Chiesa.
It took a right hook dropping Chiesa to force him to shoot on Luque and get the takedown. Chiesa took Luque’s back and threatened the rear-naked choke, but the Brazilian was able to defend and reverse the position where he locked in a d’arce choke, forcing the tap.
This win extends Luque’s streak to four and puts him in prime position to be considered for a title shot. With Usman and Covington set to fight later this year it’s very possible that Luque gets the winner in early 2022. The Brazilian called for the shot after the fact, in very respectful fashion, noting that champ Usman is a friend of his.
OH MY GOSH!!! 😱 @VicenteLuqueMMA just reversed it on him! #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/JTBj7W3j47
— UFC (@ufc) August 8, 2021
For Chiesa the loss snaps a four-fight win streak and puts him at 1-1 in 2021. It does not take him out of contention entirely, as we know that in MMA anything can happen. For “Maverick” however a win will be very necessary later this year.
Official Result: Vicente Luque def. Michael Chiesa by submission (d’arce choke), Round 1, 3:25
