Vicente Luque believes he’s ready for a title shot against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, but knows he’s not the only one in line.
On the main card of UFC 264, Luque made quick work of Michael Chiesa by wrapping him up in a D’Arce choke in the first round to force a tap, sparking the debate of his place in line for a title shot.
The latest UFC promotional rankings update has Luque at number four in the division, behind Leon Edwards, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington. However, being the only man of the bunch who has yet to step inside the cage with Usman could potentially play in his favor, or at least that’s what Luque hopes.
“Right now, I honestly think like, if Kamaru beats Colby, I think I’m ready to go for that fight,” Luque told MMA Junkie. “I think it’s a fight that makes sense, especially because I’m the guy that hasn’t fought him. I’m the guy that I know. I know that I have the tools to beat him and to put him in real danger in there. So I think that that will be the most exciting fan-wise, the UFC-wise.”
The champ Usman is set to face Covington for the second time at UFC 268 in November. Their first meeting came at UFC 245, a bout Usman won via TKO in the fifth round. While some thought Edwards would have received the next shot considering Covington’s inactivity, he was passed over for the opportunity.
Part of the debate surrounding Edwards’ case for a title shot is the notion that he’s not an exciting fighter. He also has already faced Usman and lost via unanimous decision, but that fight took place in 2015. On his current streak of nine wins, seven of those have come by way of decision. Luque, on the other hand, has finished all four fights on his current run of victories.
“I think that my style sells fights,” Luque said. “I’m not the guy that sells by talking, but my style sells that. You know, people know that I’m going to go in there and no matter what the result, the outcome is going to be, even if I lose against Kamaru, they know that I’m going to put on a good fight. They know I’m going to be trying to take Kamaru’s head off every single minute of the fight, because that’s the way that I am.”
While Luque believes his resume speaks for itself, he understands that Edwards has put in the work for a title shot. Just as he isn’t one to talk trash on the mic, he’s also not one to put down his peer in order to make his case stronger.
“Am I saying that Leon doesn’t deserve it? No way,” Luque stated. “I do think he deserves a title fight. I understand, like, we have two different totally, completely different styles. He is more of like build a long streak and show that he can beat anybody, you know, especially strategy-wise. He’s a really strategic fighter. And I’m more of the, I don’t know, I just go out there, fight as much as I can, try to get people excited, try to get a big win streak.”
Time will tell how the division shakes out after the next title fight in November, but Luque is ready for his chance and believes the fans want to see him get his shot, too.
“At the end of the day, I think that if I were a fan, I would choose myself to face tomorrow,” Luque said. “I think that would be the most exciting fight to watch.”
Check out the full interview with Luque below.
Vicente Luque makes his case for a title shot without putting down ‘strategic’ Leon Edwards