UFC welterweight contenders Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos have booked their returns.
‘The Silent Assassin’ has been out of the octagon since a clash against Geoff Neal last August. In that co-main event outing between ranked contenders, the Brazilian was dominated. Neal wound up scoring a third-round knockout over Luque, handing him his second straight loss. The Brazilian had previously lost to Belal Muhammad that April, kickstarting his losing streak.
Luckily for the welterweight title contender, he will get the chance to redeem himself in August. Earlier this week, MMA Fighting reported that Luque would face former lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos, later this year. The report was later confirmed by Marcell Dorff, with the two slated to headline UFC Vegas 89.
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That card, as is the case with other UFC Vegas events, is expected to be held at the UFC Apex. Funnily enough, the bout between Luque and dos Anjos is actually a re-booking. They were originally slated to headline a UFC Apex in July. However, the fight was moved to August, and Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva were tapped for the short-notice headliner.
Nonetheless, the welterweight showcase in August promises to be an exciting affair. While Luque enters the matchup on a two-fight losing streak, dos Anjos has had much better fortune. In his most recent octagon trip last December, the former UFC lightweight champion scored a second-round submission win over Bryan Barberena.
That helped the former champion rebound after a knockout loss to Rafael Fiziev last July. Nonetheless, Rafael dos Anjos heads into his UFC Vegas 78 main event against Vicente Luque having won three of his last four octagon appearances. In that stretch, the Brazilian scored lopsided wins over Renato Moicano and Paul Felder.
What do you make of this fight announcement? Who do you think will win? Renato Moicano or Rafael dos Anjos?
