ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Vicente Luque accepted what many fighters would’ve rejected in his position – a replacement fight with a dangerous, lesser-ranked opponent on a lesser spot on the card.
The UFC welterweight veteran was supposed to headline UFC on ESPN 54 against Sean Brady, who’s ranked No. 8 on the UFC’s official rankings. Instead, he ended up pitted against unranked striking powerhouse Joaquin Buckley in the co-main event of Saturday’s event.
This change came as a consequence of Brady’s injury, which didn’t allow him to compete on the card. In response, Luque (22-9-1 MMA, 15-5 UFC) accepted to fight Buckley (17-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) as a replacement – something he had no issue doing.
“I’ve been in that position before, like in Buckley’s position,” Luque said at the UFC on ESPN 54 media day on Wednesday. “I’ve been the guy outside the rankings that people were concerned about because we’re good, we’re dangerous. Fighting is always risk, but I feel the more risk I take, the more reward I’m going to get from that. That’s how I look at this fight.
“Yeah, he’s not ranked, and he is dangerous, but I’m dangerous as well, and I’ll give him the opportunity to try to come in and beat me.”
On top of wanting to challenge himself and also give an opportunity to someone looking to enter the rankings, there were other things to consider for Luque.
“Everyone says, ‘You don’t always get what you want,’ but on the bright side, I get to fight in front of my family, I get to fight in New Jersey, and in the month I wanted to – so many things that are favorable,” Luque said. “The training camp was great for the time frame that I had and getting a guy in Buckley that yeah – he’s not ranked, we’re not going to be the main event, but he has a lot of hype behind him, and he has a style that people love to watch.
“I have a style that people love to watch, so at the end of the day it’s a fight that people are going to watch and are going to be supporting. I can showcase my skills and my work my way up in the division.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 54.
