Luque returns with mature points win over RDA

Vicente Luque made a successful return to the Octagon by claiming a mature unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in the welterweight main event of a UFC Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 13 August 2023.

In action for the first time in a year – following a defeat to Geoff Neal which caused a brain bleed – Luque returned with a more mature game plan compared to his usual blitzkrieg approach, which had earned him a reputation as a ruthless finisher, either by submission or KO/TKO.

‘The Silent Assassin’ put up a great takedown defence against a canny veteran and showed impressive poise to secure his own attacking moments in taking the fight off the feet. RDA was generally stymied by Luque’s approach, and though he was able to open up with his striking in the fifth round, his opponent had already established an unassailable lead on the scorecard – ultimately taking the fight 49-46 48-47 48-47 according to the judges.

“It's a miracle I'm here. I've never feared anything but I feared never coming back in here," Luque said in his post-fight interview. "In the first round, I was afraid of being hit. It's been a year. I didn't know how I'd react.”

The New Jersey native called for a top-five ranked opponent next as he looks to establish himself as a contender for welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

The rest of the main card saw Cub Swanson defeat Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision in the featherweight co-main; Khalil Rountree Jr stopped Chris Daukaus in the first round of their light heavyweight bout; Iasmin Lucindo submitted Polyana Viana in a women’s strawweight clash; and AJ Dobson and Josh Fremd outpointed Tafon Nchukwi and Jamie Pickett respectively in catchweight openers.

Next weekend brings UFC 292 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on the morning of Sunday 20 August, headlined by matches for the bantamweight championship between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, and for the women’s strawweight championship between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos.

UFC Fight Night: Luque v Dos Anjos – Main card results

- Main event: Welterweight: Vicente Luque def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46 48-47 48-47), R5, 5:00

Featherweight: Cub Swanson def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

Light heavyweight: Khalil Rountree Jr def. Chris Daukaus via TKO (punches), R1, 2:40

Women’s strawweight: Iasmin Lucindo def. Polyana Viana via submission (arm triangle choke), R2, 3:42

Catchweight (189.5 lb): AJ Dobson def. Tafon Nchukwi via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

Catchweight (189 lb): Josh Fremd def. Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00