Vicente Luque was awarded a special jacket from USADA for passing 50 drug tests.
In July 2015, Luque made his UFC debut after competing on The Ultimate Fighter Season 21. Since then, ‘The Silent Assassin’ has become a mainstay in the welterweight division, leading to a promotional record of 14-5.
On August 12, the 31-year-old will step into the Octagon for the twentieth time as the headliner for UFC Vegas 78. Luque looks to end his two-fight losing streak by taking out Rafael dos Anjos, who is coming off a second-round submission win against Bryan Barberena.
Per usual, the fight week festivities featured a media day interview on Tuesday. Once Luque arrived to answer questions, he received an honorable gift from the USADA drug-testing agency. ‘The Silent Assasin’ was handed a prestigious jacket for passing 50 drug tests.
Luque needs a win against ‘RDA’ to get back on track. In April 2022, ‘The Silent Assasin’ had his four-fight win streak snapped due to a unanimous decision loss against Belal Muhammad. Four months later, he suffered a brain bleed after enduring a drastic amount of damage in a knockout loss against Geoff Neal.
It’ll be easier said than done for Luque as Dos Anjos continues to showcase impressive performances. Despite being 38, the former UFC lightweight champion has aged well, making him a dangerous threat to any 155-pounder.
Vicente Luque received his jacket for 50 clean USADA tests pic.twitter.com/2sNXPNLfPf
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) August 10, 2023
Vicente Luque lists his top-ten rankings for UFC welterweights
The UFC welterweight division is run by Leon Edwards, who is coming off back-to-back wins against Kamaru Usman. Edwards’ next opponent hasn’t been announced, but the expectation is for Colby Covington to fight for the title later this year.
Meanwhile, several contenders are nearing a title shot, including Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov. During an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Vicente Luque, ranked number ten, was asked to rank the best fighters at 170 pounds. He responded with this list:
“1. Leon Edwards, 2. Kamaru Usman, 3. Belal Muhammad, 4. Gilbert Burns, 5. Vicente Luque, 6. Shavkat Rakhmonov, 7. Ian Garry, 8. Geoff Neal, 9. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, 10. Rafael dos Anjos”
The most intriguing part of Vicente Luque’s rankings was not listing Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’ last fought in March 2022, defeating Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision. Earlier this year, Covington weighed in as the backup for Edwards vs. Usman 3, leading to Dana White labeling him as the next welterweight title challenger.
