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Perhaps the most underrated fighter in the UFC is Vicente Luque. Despite the recent loss in his rematch against Belal Muhammad, 'The Silent Assassin' still has an impressive record. Furthermore, he's finished 90% of his victories. What makes these statistics even more impressive is that he's been fighting at the top of the heap for quite some time.
'The Silent Assassin' recently took on Belal Muhammad in a rematch that carries significant title fight implications. Gilbert Burns, Khamzat Chimaev, Colby Covington are a little better broadcasted in the media, Luque and Muhammad are of the same tier of those names in terms of talent.
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Luque and Muhammad first met in 2016, and this meeting only lasted a little over a minute. The 30-year-old wasted no time in securing this first-round knockout. Muhammad is on quite a tear himself and has evolved substantionally since their first meeting. Although both athletes are much different now, 'Remember The Name' may have grown a bit more as he was able to decisively defeat the 30-year-old in their rematch. Regardless of falling short of victory, Luque is still a force to be reckoned with at welterweight. Here are 5 of the best Vicente Luque performances.
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#5. Vicente Luque vs. Michael Chiesa
Michael Chiesa really found his place after he nixed the grueling weightcut and made the move up to welterweight. 'Maverick' turned his two-fight losing streak into a four-fight winning streak. The Brazilian was already sitting at the top of the division, and if Chiesa wanted to make his case for a title shot, he'd have to get through 'The Silent Assassin'.
Chiesa used lateral movement to keep away from a brawling-style fight which usually plays in the Brazilian's favor. After landing a crisp one-two combination, 'Maverick' saw the opening for a takedown and went with it. It was successful and Chiesa had his opponent's back shortly after.
'The Silent Assassin' proved to be calm and aware, even with the danger of Chiesa on his back being present. Not only did the 30-year-old escape from Chiesa's control, but he attacked a choke of his own. Although his opponent tried and tried to defend the Brazilian's patented D'Arce choke, he seemed to have this submission perfected and forced the tap, handing Chiesa his first loss at welterweight. This performance was especially impressive when taking into consideration the momentum that 'Maverick' had coming into this bout.
#4. Randy Brown
Randy Brown is one of the most feared finishers at welterweight. Six wins by knockout or technical knockout and five by submission, 'Rude Boy' likes to let the judges sit back and relax. Brown finished two fights in a row en route to his battle with 'The Silent Assassin'. Overcoming the likes of Bryan Barberena and Warlley Alves warranted full respect from Luque.
As the match began, Brown's 6'3" frame was a glaring issue that the Brazilian needed to solve. His answer? Calf kicks. Lots of them. These kicks began to give 'Rude Boy' issues almost immediately. He'd try to switch stances but ultimately wound up back in his orthodox stance where he is most comfortable.
#3. Bryan Barberena
In this 2019 Fight of the Year candidate, we had Bryan Barberena, who is no stranger to an exciting fight, taking on the Brazilian native. 'Bam Bam' came into this fight with a point to prove. He wanted to show that he belongs at the top of the division and was willing to emphasize that sentiment at Luque's expense.
'The Silent Assassin' is a lot of things, but a stepping stone isn't on that list. He gave his opponent everything he had as he landed bomb after bomb. To the surprise of many, 'Bam Bam' seemed unphased by the majority of these significant strikes. The fight quickly became a fan favorite and had Twitter, along with the arena, blowing up with excitement.
The 30-year-old Brazilian took quite a bit of punishment himself. Both athletes showed off their durability and creative striking in this nearly 15-minute battle. As the fight was concluding, the Brazilian had a good feeling that his knees would be the tool to end the fight, seeing as they almost got the job done a round earlier. Two knees landed after a boxing combination and his opponent fell forward, prompting the referee to call a stop to the action.
#2. Belal Muhammad
It only took Luque a little over a minute to become the first and only fighter to stop Belal Muhammad. Although their most recent rematch saw Luque able to get out-pointed, the first fight told a completely different story.
There's not a lot of fight to watch from their 2016 meeting but the amount of action that was given shows the Brazilian in control. He took the center of the octagon and cut off 'Remember The Name' off perfectly in order to assert pressure and never let his opponent get comfortable.
As the Roufusport fighter was getting settled in kicking range, the Brazilian closed the distance and fired off a lead-hook as Muhammad was initiating a kick. This punch rendered Muhammad unconscious. A flawless performance from the Brazilian.
#1. Tyron Woodley
Nothing is quite as dangerous as a fighter that's backed into a corner. That's what makes this Luque performance the standout. Sure, he's taking on a heavy-handed former welterweight champion, but put those descriptions on top of a fighter with nothing to lose, and that's a tough matchup.
After losing his title to the current pound-for-pound great, Tyron Woodley then lost to Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington, both fighters who would eventually challenge for the title. It was speculated that 'The Chosen One' lost these fights because he had become gun shy and was trepedatious to throw any offense. That wasn't the case at all when he took on Vicente Luque.
The former champion pressed the action and wanted to show that he's not a shell of his former self. While the attempt was great, it was 'The Silent Assassin' on the other end of things, and he's as durable as they come. Luque was ready and willing to trade shots, and trade they did. Eventually, the Brazilian was able to hurt Woodley. Wobbly legs didn't aid the counter attempts from 'The Chosen One' and he fell to the mat following a bog strike attempt. As the record shows, if a fighter leaves their neck out for 'The Silent Assassin', then the fight is as good as done. Luque once again secured the D'Arce choke and was the first in the UFC to finish Tyron Woodley.
