Vicente Luque surprised by booking of Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal rematch, expects same result at UFC 261
Vicente Luque has his eyes on his division’s title fight coming up this weekend.
The UFC welterweight contender will watch closely the championship rematch between belt holder Kamaru Usman and challenger Jorge Masvidal in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 261 pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Fla.
The rematch stems from a title fight in summer of 2020, when Masvidal accepted the bout on one week’s notice and went on to lose a unanimous decision to Usman. Masvidal hasn’t fought since, while Usman went on to defend his belt against Gilbert Burns earlier this year at UFC 258.
Like many, Luque (20-7-1 MMA, 13-3 UFC) is surprised to see Masvidal get a rematch after having lost to Usman.
“I thought that Masvidal needed one more fight because he lost in dominant fashion against Kamaru,” Luque told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I didn’t think, at least for me, I didn’t think it made a lot of sense. I understand he didn’t have a full camp. There’s that story, and he needed more time to train, but still, I though he needed one more fight. I was surprised.”
Despite the unexpected booking and an array of contenders waiting for a title shot, Luque said he is not bothered the UFC decided to go that route and understands it’s just part of the business.
“It doesn’t bother me, I just would rather see another fight,” Luque explained. “It could’ve been Colby (Covington) again because they had an even fight all the way to the finish, so that would be a good rematch. A fight with Stephen Thompson would be interesting because he has an interesting style, and Kamaru hasn’t fought anybody with that style.
“So it’s not that it bothered me. It makes sense on the entertainment side, and it makes money. On that aspect, it makes sense. All the fans are going to be watching Masvidal fight. This is a sport, but it’s part entertainment, as well. I would’ve liked to have seen another fight, but I wasn’t bothered. It should be a good fight, and I’ll be watching.”
Luque, who’s coming off a big win, submitting former champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 260 back in March, expects Masvidal to give a better showing on Saturday night than he did in the first meeting. He thinks having a full camp will make a difference in Masvidal, but not enough to dethrone the champion.
“I think it makes the fight a bit harder for Kamaru,” Luque said. “Kamaru might have to work harder for the positions, he will have to use more energy. But in the end, the style is what makes the fight, and it’s not a good style for Masvidal.
“Masvidal is a great striker – he’s a good boxer and he has heavy hands. He’s also very durable, but when it come to wrestling, I don’t think he has the physical strength to deal with Kamaru. Kamaru is extremely strong, and his conditioning is great. He can wrestle five rounds with no problem and not even get tired. I see the style is difficult for Masvidal. I see the fight being similar to the first, I don’t think it’s going to change much. But without a doubt, Masvidal is going to be more prepared, and it’s going to be much tougher for Kamaru.”
