Las Vegas, NV — Brazilian welterweight Vicente Luque is expecting to find himself in a war with Geoff Neal when they meet at UFC Vegas 59 in August.
“They [fans] can expect war. That’s what I’m going to bring,” Luque proclaimed Thursday, speaking to Cageside Press at the UFC’s 2022 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. “I think Geoff Neal brings a great style, he’s a striker as well. He tries to finish his opponents. So I think it’s the perfect match-up, possibly Fight of the Night, and it’s going to be an exciting one for fans for sure.”
Luque (21-8-1) had a four-fight win streak snapped by Belal Muhammad in his most recent outing. But there’s a fight from a few years ago, rather than a more recent win, that is the one he views as a career highlight.
“I think my fight against Bryan Barberena. That’s legendary. We were fighting in Arizona, Barberena is from Arizona, so we had all that energy, people had his back,” Luque recalled. “But during the fight, I was fighting my way back and got the finish at the end, and everybody respected me and got behind me also, and cheered me on. And it was just a back-and-forth battle. So for me, that was one I’ll remember forever.”
Luque also spoke on what it’s like to compete in the UFC’s absolutely stacked welterweight division. One of the deepest in MMA as a whole.
“For me it’s just extra motivation. I know that welterweight is one of the toughest divisions in the UFC, and in the world. And that’s why I love fighting here so much. That’s why I know when I’m in the rankings, when I’m near the top five, I know how tough I am, because I’m in the toughest division in the UFC. So that just makes it even better and makes me train harder every single time.”
Watch our full interview with Vicente Luque above!
