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Fans had mixed reactions to Vicente Luque receiving a new opponent for his upcoming fight at UFC Atlantic City.
On March 30, the UFC will travel to the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for a fight night currently featuring 14 bouts. The upcoming event was supposed to be headlined by Luque vs. Sean Brady, but Brady unfortunately pulled out to recover from a lingering injury.
Luckily, the Dana White-led promotion found a replacement for number nine-ranked Luque, as unranked Joaquin Buckley accepted the opportunity. Luque vs. Buckley will serve as the UFC Atlantic City co-main event, with Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot promoted to the main event.
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MMA journalist Marcel Dorff confirmed the new matchup by saying this on Twitter:
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“S.Brady out. Vicente Luque will now fight Joaquin Buckley at #UFCAtlanticCity on March 30th. (first rep. Boardwalk Hall Website) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 #CoMainEvent”
Fans shared their reactions to the Luque vs. Buckley announcement in the Twitter comment section:
“This wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card”
“big opportunity for Buckley”
“Way better then Luque/Brady, also way better as a Co Main to Erin/Manon. Gonna be a banger”
“Should be a fun fight”
“Hopefully Luque retires after this. He really shouldn’t have come back.”
“Luque masterclass incoming”
What’s at stake between Vicente Luque and Joaquin Buckley?
In August 2023, Vicente Luque fought for the first time after recovering from a potentially career-ending brain injury. Luque quickly reminded everyone of his well-rounded skills by securing a unanimous decision win against former champion Rafael dos Anjos to solidify himself as a ranked UFC welterweight.
As for Joaquin Buckley, the 29-year-old is riding a two-fight win streak after officially moving down from middleweight to welterweight. ‘New Mansa’ last fought in October 2023, defeating Alex Morono by unanimous decision.
Buckley has a massive opportunity in his upcoming fight against Luque. The 29-year-old could earn a spot in the welterweight rankings and prove he’s a potential title contender moving forward.
Meanwhile, Luque has earned plenty of respect throughout his UFC tenure. With that said, he’s struggled to prove he has what it takes to become the 170-pound world champion. An impressive performance for the 32-year-old could silence some of the doubters.
