Vicente Luque is set to return from the longest layoff in his MMA career, due to a career-threatening brain bleed injury, on Saturday at UFC Vegas 78 after being cleared by three neurologists and the Nevada Athletic Commission, and he will face Rafael dos Anjos in the main event.
Vicente Luque is expected to return from the most extended layoff in his mixed martial arts career this coming Saturday at UFC Vegas 78, and his absence was due to a horrifying and potentially career-ending injury. Known as one of the most active and thrilling fighters in the UFC today, “The Silent Assassin” was compelled to retreat from competition temporarily after medical examinations revealed he suffered a brain bleed during his knockout defeat to Geoff Neal in August 2022. Luque’s health condition was kept under wraps until the Nevada Athletic Commission granted him a license to participate in a five-round main event against Rafael dos Anjos at the UFC APEX on Aug. 12, an incident he discussed on the Trocação Franca, an MMA Fighting podcast episode.
Luque pointed out that initially, he was given a six-month suspension following the fight, as he suffered a small brain bleed, serious than usual, but it didn’t evolve into something more severe. He stayed under hospital surveillance, and his condition did not exacerbate into anything more critical. As a result, he was imposed a six-month suspension from fighting, but he opted not to engage in any sparring for six months. Luque only indulged in training grappling, conditioning, wrestling, hitting pads, and other similar activities to ensure a full recovery.
Luque was first slated to face dos Anjos on July 15, but he, along with UFC, later discovered that the commission had extended his medical suspension to a year due to the brain bleed, forcing the promotion to delay the match to Aug. 12. Luque had to undergo a series of tests and get clearance from neurologists, of whom three cleared him to fight. In the aftermath of the events, Luque thanked the commission and UFC for safeguarding his health and safety, as well as used his time away from competition to improve as a mixed martial artist.
Luque sparred for his camp for dos Anjos once he started, but with far less frequency than before. Simultaneously, he acknowledged that his diligent cage participation might’ve been a problem too, despite building a positive reputation in sports. While Luque expects his fellow Brazilian to struggle and attempt to tire him out while aiming for a late finish or decision win, he says he is “prepared for that”. He believes it’s the right fight for him at this moment, one that has the potential to catapult him to the top if he wins convincingly.