Vicente Luque thinks he’s now well past the brain bleed that threatened his career and is ready to show he’s back to full form against Kevin Holland at UFC 316.
After a more than yearlong hiatus from competition that end in mid-2023, Luque (23-10-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) has won two of three fights since his comeback. His most recent performance saw him choke out Themba Gorimbo in 52 seconds at UFC 310 in December, setting him up for the June 7 showdown with fan favorite Holland at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Although neither men occupy a top 15 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, Luque knows the value Holland carries with his name, and he sees this matchup as a key stepping stone in where he needs to be.
“It’s one of the fights to get me back to the top,” Luque told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s what I’m looking for. I want to get back into that mix in the top five. That’s the goal for this year, and I think a fight against Holland – it’s not easy to get a ranked opponent right now, and I don’t want to wait. I’ve been waiting for a long time and I think that Holland is that kind of name who has been in the rankings in middleweight and welterweight.
“He’s a guy that everyone is backing and supporting and I think it’s a fight that brings the hype, and it’s win, if I go out there and pick up a good win against him, I think that sets me up for a great fight after that and moves me up the rankings. That’s my goal to get back to that top five and get back to the title picture.”
Luque thinks the matchup with Holland is one that will bring out his most violent side. He already has the second-most finishes in UFC welterweight history with 14, and can tie Matt Brown’s all-time record of 15 if he puts Holland away inside the distance.
That is something Luque will be pushing hard for, and when it happen, he thinks he will be back in the rankings and start to gain traction as a title contender that he had earlier in his career.
“He’s not trying to stall, he’s not trying to have a safe fight. That’s what I like. That’s what brings the best out of me. … My own game is I can knock you out, I can submit you. I’m a complete MMA fighter and more than anything, I’m always going for that finish. It’s a style that really matches well.”
“We have all the ingredients to make a Fight of the Night, a Fight of the Year. To go out there and do what I do and show the UFC and everybody that I’m still hungry for that title. I’m climbing up. I’m just 33 years old. I feel like I’m still just getting better. That’s what I’m going to show that night.”
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