The UFC has put together an insurance plan for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington at UFC 268, and his name is Vicente Luque.
Luque (21-7-1 MMA, 14-3 UFC) has been pegged as the backup fighter for Saturday’s welterweight title rematch between Usman (19-1 MMA, 14-0 UFC) and Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and ESPN+.
Although both Usman and Covington are present and fight week and seemed in positive spirits at Wednesday’s media day, the promotion is apparently not willing to take any risks. Luque will weigh in Friday morning as an alternate, should his services be needed.
MMA Junkie verified the news of the plans with Luque following an initial report from ESPN.
“For me, it’s a great opportunity,” Luque told MMA Junkie. “And like I’ve always said, I stay ready for these kind of situations. That’s why I’m always training and always in good shape because I can make the weight no problem with just one or two weeks. That’s why I liked the idea. UFC spoke with my manager Ali. He asked me and I told him I’d be ready in case anything happens. I’m ready to fight either guy.”
Luque, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, is coming off a first-round submission of Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 in August, which extended his current winning streak to four fights.
The Brazilian had been angling for a December matchup with Nate Diaz, but the promotion did not appear keen on proceeding with it that matchup. Luque said he was training in case it came together, but now he’s shifting his attention to a potential title fight on short notice, should the worst happen.
