UFC president, Dana White believes Vicente Luque cemented himself as a legit welterweight contender after UFC 265.
On the main card of the pay-per-view, Luque earned a first-round submission over Michael Chiesa. He’s now on a four-fight winning streak with all four wins by stoppage. He’s also 10-1 in his last 11 with his lone loss by decision to Stephen Thompson at UFC 244.
With the victory, Luque will jump into the top-five at welterweight. With that, White says Luque is now a top contender at 170lbs. Whether or not that will earn him a title shot is uncertain, but White was impressed with his performance as he didn’t think the Brazilian would submit Chiesa who is known for his grappling.
“He is now (a top welterweight),” White said after UFC 265 (via MMAJunkie). “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.”
As of right now, the welterweight title picture is booked with Kamaru Usman rematching Colby Covington. After that, Leon Edwards seems likely next to be in line, but for White, he says Luque being an exciting fighter has also helped him cement him as a top contender.
“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.”
In his career, Vicente Luque holds notable wins over Tyron Woodley, Mike Perry, Randy Brown, Niko Price, twice, and Belal Muhammad among others.
