There is a saying that, “things happen for a reason.” Well, it seems that Gilbert Burns pushing Vicente Luque to practice his d’arce right before his fight with Michael Chiesa last week was a serendipitous moment.
New fourth-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Luque stunned fans when he submitted Chiesa in the pairs UFC 265 main card bout. It wasn’t so much that observers of the sport didn’t respect his grappling skills, but more because he is known for his dangerous striking and his opponent is the fighter known for snatching up limbs.
Gilbert Burns was key in Vicente Luque’s UFC 265 win
In a new interview with Combate, the 29-year-old explained that his decision to go for the submission was a choice counter to what he had planned throughout his fight camp. However, some last-minute advice from teammate and former title contender Burns prepared him perfectly for that specific moment when it arose in the fight.
“It was funny because, in training, the plan was to stand up when there was a gap. I didn’t want to give Chiesa a chance to scrape me or take advantage of it. He is experienced. In the locker room before the fight, [Burns] said, ‘Let’s train the hand triangle to warm up.’ I said I wasn’t going to do it, that I would stand up so I wouldn’t take any chances,” Luque recalled.
“He said, ‘Dude, do some drills because he might be tired in the third round, then you can [go for it].’ We did the drills the same way, putting the triangle in with the hand, and turning it, If it happened in the last round. But I saw it in the first round. Chiesa stopped [on his hands and knees] and gave me time to fit the hold in. I thought, ‘I can believe it’s happening. ‘Durinho’ made me do these repetitions.”
Although he won the fight by submission, there were some dangerous moments that came first. Minutes before, the American seemed deep into a rear-naked-choke that looked like it could hand “Maverick” a monumental win instead. However, while the seventh-ranked 170-pounder was close to ending the fight, Luque revealed he was never pondered tapping, and instead focused on working his defensive techniques to escape his foe’s grasp. Something he achieved after some difficult moments.
“It was a position I trained a lot in camp because it’s Chiesa’s strong position. He has several wins in the rear-naked-choke. He managed to fit 80% of the [hold in], but I was calm, I had a good exit, I worked hard to defend correctly,” said Luque. “I was focused on that. At no time did I feel the risk of being finished. He gave some pressure, especially towards the end, when I removed my hips and he twisted my chin, but nothing to [force the tap]. It was [difficult] to get out. It was a good position, he took advantage of the time, but he didn’t come close to submitting me. I trained a lot with the guys from Cerrado MMA, all jiu-jitsu black belts.”
Luque believes he has the exact tool set to give Kamaru Usman a difficult night
Following his victory in Houston, Texas, Luque called for a matchup next with the current welterweight king, and former teammate, Kamaru Usman. Assuming that “The Nigerian Nightmare” defends his title against Colby Covington in November at UFC 268. Although he certainly wouldn’t be a favorite in the matchup, he believes he has the right set of tools to do what no other competitor has been able to do in the Octagon, and hand Usman a loss.
“Kamaru has a very strong rhythm. I also push the rhythm up there, mainly in my area, the striking. This can complicate it. Colby was one of the guys who came closest to putting him in danger because he put a lot of volume in the standup. I can too, but with knockout power, I hit pretty hard for the division, I know I could knock out anyone, including Kamaru. And I have the ground game. Kamaru has already faced and dominated guys on the ground, but I’ve been developing the wrestling defense and the [anti-ground game], if I’m on the bottom or in transition,” Luque said.
“The hand triangle I’ve been doing a lot, but there are other weapons I’ve been working on. I’m complete like him, but I have a game to complicate things, because I fight him in any area, whether on the ground or standing. I’ve been working not to be controlled and undermine the opponent as well. This complete game that I’ve been developing can go up against Kamaru.”
Do you think Vicente Luque vs Kamaru Usman is the matchup that finally ends the champion’s dominant reign?
