Vicente Luque was scheduled to face rising welterweight prospect Ian Machado Garry just hours before UFC champion Leon Edwards puts his title on the line against Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 296, and he doesn’t expect changes at the top of the weight class.
Luque said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca that he’s glad to see the title finally being defended, even though he feels Covington shouldn’t be the one standing across the cage from the champion at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I think Leon wins,” Luque said. “I think Leon is a very well-rounded fighter, very tough. To me, he beat one of the greatest welterweights all-time in Kamaru Usman, and he did it twice, so I pick him as the one to win this fight. And I think it’s not that close. I think he has great chances at winning.”
“I disagree that Colby should be fighting for the belt, but those are decisions made [by UFC],” he continued. “I’m just happy that the division is moving, that we’re finally having a title fight. It has taken so long, this should have happened a while ago. But I believe in Leon to win.”
Covington earned a shot at the belt after winning a decision over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022. Edwards' wins over 170-pound great Usman happened after that, and that long layoff for the contender is one of the reasons why Luque gives Covington even less of a chance at winning in Las Vegas.
“Colby obviously is very tough, he’s shown he can fight the best, but he hasn’t fought in a while,” Luque said. “That inactivity can be something that plays against him, but we’ll see. Let’s see what happens that night.”
