UFC president Dana White had high praise with Vicente Luque following his "Performance of the Night" finish at UFC 265.
HOUSTON – Vicente Luque has finally arrived as part of the welterweight elite after UFC 265, according to company president Dana White.
Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) added another signature win to his resume Saturday when he submitted Michael Chiesa (18-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in the first round of their welterweight bout at the Toyota Center in Houston, winning “Performance of the Night” honors in the process.
Although Luque has been doing impressive things in the octagon for years, he’s only really started to gain traction in the past few fights. The Brazilian earned a thrilling win over Tyron Woodley in March, but that ultimately ended up being the former champion’s final UFC bout, so White didn’t know how to gauge it.
Chiesa, however, came into UFC 265 undefeated since moving up to 170 pounds, and for Luque to beat him in the manner he did, was quite eye opening for White.
“He is now (a top welterweight),” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 265 post-fight news conference. “We’re talking about him now. First of all, that kid is fun to watch. When he beat Woodley, Woodley hadn’t won a fight in three years. He beat Woodley – OK. Tonight, not only did he beat Michael Chiesa, but when he went for that choke, I was like, ‘Why are you trying to submit Michael Chiesa? Get back on your feet!’ He got it. He did it.”
White said he doesn’t know exactly where Luque falls in the pecking order on the back end of his performance. Luque called out champion Kamaru Usman – who is set to defend his title in a rematch with Colby Covington at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 – in his post-fight interview, and managed to get a response.
Time will tell how the division shakes out depending on which man is holding the gold at year’s end, but White said Luque’s future is promising and he’s very much part of the conversation alongside the likes of Leon Edwards, Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal and more.
“I love to watch that kid fight,” White said. “He’s exciting. He’s a killer, and I look forward to what’s next for him. You can’t talk about all the top guys in the world without talking about Luque now.”
