The UFC 265 main card features a pivotal battle in the welterweight division’s top-10 when sixth-ranked talent Vicente Luque (18-7-1) battles the man one spot ahead of him in former lightweight Michael Chiesa (16-4). The Brazilian is well aware of how big this fight is for both men, and sees legitimate championship possibilities in the near future for the winner.
Vicente Luque sees a monumental opportunity ahead at UFC 265
Luque, 29, has been a stalwart of the welterweight rankings for the last few years. However, the one thing that has evaded him while winning nine of his last 11 fights inside the Octagon, is overcoming a higher ranked foe and jumping into serious title contention. He had that chance against Stephen Thompson in the fall of 2019 and he came up short. “The Silent Assassin” believes that opportunity has come around again on August 7 against fifth-ranked Chiesa.
“It is the most important fight to date,” Luque told Combate about his fight at UFC 265. “I’ve been climbing the rankings with every fight. This is decisive to see who will enter the top three, seeing a fight for the belt. I trained a lot, I’m prepared and excited.”
There is some validity to Luque’s theory. In front of him and Chiesa in the rankings is Thompson, who lost last month to second-ranked Gilbert Burns. Burns, who is also his teammate, fell in his February challenge of champion Kamaru Usman title by technical knockout. Leon Edwards and his 10-fight unbeaten streak, and ranking at three, do have a case but he fought Usman in 2015 and lost. Meaning Luque or Chiesa would offer a fresh and strong next challenger for the title.
Vicente Luque picks Usman to beat Covington at UFC 268
When it comes to who these two top-six welterweights could face for the title, Luque believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” will be there waiting to defend his title for a sixth straight time.
“It will depend on Colby’s fight against Kamaru. I believe Kamaru will win and, if he wins, Chiesa and I would be the only ones in the top five he didn’t face,” said Luque. “There is that possibility. The focus is on winning, I have to beat Chiesa before thinking about a next fight or a title shot. And it needs to be a big win, [an unimpressive] win won’t do. I have to do it in my style.”
UFC 265 takes place on August 7, inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The preliminary portion of the card will begin at 6 pm ET on ESPN and streaming service ESPN+. The main card follows at 10 pm ET, exclusively on ESPN+ with a pay-per-view cost of US $69.99.