Vicente Luque defeated former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 78 after a 25-minute match.
In a fierce battle between two aggressive Brazilian welterweight fighters, Rafael dos Anjos and Vicente Luque, the UFC Vegas 78 octagon was ablaze. Dos Anjos, a former lightweight champion, was determined to keep his winning streak going after his victorious fight against Bryan Barberena in December. The win, which represented the 16th stoppage victory in his 19-year career, not only brought him back to his winning form but also cemented his reputation in the fighting world.
Luque, conversely, entered the octagon in desperate search of a victory after suffering consecutive defeats to Geoff Neal and Belal Muhammad. Even more devastatingly, after the loss to Neal, Luque was found to have a suffered brain bleed, which cast a shadow over his MMA career. This made the fight against Dos Anjos crucial for Luque to not just regain his confidence, but to also determine the possible future of his career in combat sports.
The well-fought match lasted a total of 25 minutes, and it was Luque who was deemed the winner through the judges’ decision. The win marked a significant comeback for the ‘Silent Assassin’ Luque, particularly because of the health setback he experienced prior to the fight. The UFC Apex in Las Vegas was buzzing as fellow fighters reacted to Luque’s compelling victory.
Among the reactions, Teddy Atlas applauded Luque on his comeback win, crediting him for his conquest in the challenging fight. Belal Muhammad expressed delight at Luque’s return noting that he is both a great person and a formidable fighter. Additionally, Alan Jouban indicated that for Dos Anjos, wrestling could have been a key point of the fight, but he considered that Dos Anjos had been unable to leverage this component to his advantage. Overall, the event stirred great excitement, with Luque’s impressive comeback becoming the talk of the night.