Newark, NJ — Ahead of a welterweight showdown with Kevin Holland at UFC 316 this weekend, Vicente Luque has found his chin being questioned, by both fans, and his latest opponent.
Luque (23-10-1) has been finished by Geoff Neal and Joaquin Buckley in recent years, though he’s coming in off a submission win over Themba Gorimbo. Still, the narrative seems to be that Luque can no longer handle the wars he’s become known for.
“Well keep an eye open on Saturday. You guys will see, you guys will see if I’m ready or not for war,” Luque said in response, speaking during Wednesday’s UFC 316 media day. “I’m excited.”
When it comes to Holland, Luque noted that “it’s a big fight and a challenging opponent. I like it, I like it, he’s going to take the best out of me for sure.”
Luque didn’t bring in anyone specific to replicate the lanky Holland, but has been training with Bellator champ Jason Jackson, the PFL’s Dilano Taylor, and UFC middleweight Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues. “Nobody gets bigger than that guy, he’s really tall, very explosive. Kind of trying to get all these different guys to give me different looks, because really Holland is unpredictable. He’s not that kind of fighter that always fights the same. Sometimes he’ll bring some crazy moves, and sometimes it works. So I’ve got to be ready for that kind of unpredictability. But I feel ready, ready [for] any area he wants to bring the fight.”
Luque is circling the UFC’s finish record, sitting at 14 with Matt Brown one spot ahead of him at 15. It’s not something he’s trying to force, but definitely a record he’s seeking out.
“That would be awesome. I’m definitely chasing that record; like you said, I don’t chase the finishes, they just happen. But that’s my style, that’s what I do, I go in there and fight with all I have,” stated Luque. “Usually that’s gonna end up in a finish, because either I find a submission or a knockout show. It’s going to come eventually. And if I can get that record, man, that would be amazing.”
Watch the full UFC 316 media day appearance by Vicente Luque above.
