Athletes
Vicente Luque Has Found Peace
Welterweight Veteran Ready To Enjoy Each Moment Of His Return To Brazil
So much about Vicente Luque’s life and perspective changed in the days and months following his August 2022 clash with Geoff Neal, which left his future in the Octagon uncertain and also served as a catalyst for his deepened relationship with God.
Neal won the fight via knockout, the first man to stop the Brazilian via strikes, and Luque was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma — a bleed on the brain — that instantly put his career in jeopardy. Luque was medically suspended for a year and had to force himself to break away from his usual pattern of returning to the gym, training, and simply being active, replacing all those familiar elements with rest and a focus on recovery.
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“That changed things completely, and it’s funny because that’s also when I had the encounter with God, started learning more about Jesus, and it changed my perspective,” Luque said. “I am blessed to still do what I love to do, and before that, I didn’t appreciate everything that I had as much as I could have appreciated it.
“I took for granted stepping into the gym and training, getting into fights and having battles, coming out of them, recovering, and fighting again,” added the welterweight standout, who faces off with Joel Alvarez in an electric pairing on Saturday’s main card at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. “Now I look at it like, ‘Through all this, God took care of me.’ It was a miracle because most cases, this is not how it ends: most people will have some kind of (lingering effects); they will not be the same after that, and I was fully recovered and back to fighting in a year.
“If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.”
Vicente Luque Fight Week Interview | UFC Rio
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Vicente Luque Fight Week Interview | UFC Rio
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Not only was Luque back in the Octagon one year and six days following the bout with Neal, but he returned with a victory, getting the best of compatriot Rafael Dos Anjos in a 5-round main event clash in Las Vegas. Though he’s struggled to earn consistent results since, the experience imbued the talented combatant and thoughtful family man with a different outlook.
“My whole perspective changed and what I got out of it is peace. Something I’ve searched for all my life for: to have peace and enjoy what I do,” said Luque. “Now I can enjoy it to a level where I know the work I put in, I know what I can do, and I know that I’m going out there to do the best I can, and whatever comes after that, I’m good with it.”
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That shift in perspective and inner peace is accompanied by a belief that competing on the biggest stage in the sport is simply a means to a greater end as well.
While Luque very much approaches his craft with the same dedication and fervor as he has throughout his career, he is much more comfortable dealing with the ebb and flow of results at this point because he sees each trip int the Octagon as an opportunity to do something more than earn a victory.
“Understanding there is more is really what has pushed me forward to this point, and not only more to the UFC, more to my career as a fighter, but more to me as a person,” said the 34-year-old, who owns a 16-7 mark under the UFC banner heading into this weekend’s showdown with Alvarez. “I have a purpose now to go in there and not just be a great fighter, but now I carry something that is different: to glorify the name of God, to go in there and do the best I can for what I believe in, and showcase that to the world.
“Now I understand why I have the platform that I have, and there really is no greater motivation, nothing that has gotten into my heart greater than that because this can push me through my whole life, through any difficulty,” he added. “I have a purpose to go in there and get a win, not only for me, not only for my family, but for much more than that. I know how hard I work, how much I wanna get that (victory), and I know I can do that while enjoying, having fun.
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“I know what God has given me as a talent, all the skills He’s put in me, and all I have to do is show that to the world and let all the glory be to Him.”
The fact that Luque gets to carry this greater purpose into the Octagon in his home country is an added bonus for the Brasilia native.
“It’s amazing; I’ve been wanting for a while to fight in Brazil again — my last fight was in 2017, so it’s been a while,” he said with a smile when asked about competing in Rio for the first time. “It’s great to have the support of the crowd, my home country backing me up, and it feels really good to be here.”
As is the case with many international events, Saturday’s fight card is flush with competitors from the host nation with all but the first fight of the evening featuring a Brazilian athlete taking on an opponent from somewhere else in the world. Luque acknowledged that the “Us vs Them” mentality does resonate with the Brazilian athletes on the card, but not in any kind of hostile way.
Just as the Canadians will band together next week in Vancouver, buoyed by the support of the local fans, the long-time welterweight contender sees the same thing happening with his compatriots this weekend.
“We know that this is where MMA started with vale tudo. This is the roots of MMA, and when we come here and have events like this, the UFC is always putting on fights like this — Brazil vs The World — to showcase the Brazilian skill, the history we have, our heritage in the sport,” he suggested. “Some people see it as pressure, but I see it as an honor: it’s an honor to come here and fight, represent this country, represent the story we have in this sport... There is an extra motivation, that fire from knowing I’m fighting here in my home country, that crowd; I wanna go out there and put on a great fight.”
Rise Of Vicente Luque
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Rise Of Vicente Luque
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But the pride of competing in Brazil is not what will carry him to victory on Saturday night.
“Through my training camp that was extra motivation for sure, but at the same time, every fight is a single fight,” continued Luque, who is looking to rebound after suffering a submission loss to Kevin Holland earlier this year at UFC 316. “I cannot look at previous results or previous things and say, ‘It’s gonna be this because of that.’
“I’m gonna get a good result on Saturday because of the work I put in, because of want I want to do in there, and because I’m gonna work to beat that opponent that night. Even though I have that extra motivation, Saturday night is about showing up and enjoying that moment.”
Originally scheduled to face fellow divisional mainstay and Ultimate Fighter graduate Santiago Ponzinibbio, Luque will instead share the Octagon with Alvarez, a tall and dangerous Spaniard making the move up to the welterweight ranks for the first time following nine fights at lightweight, where he posted a 7-2 record and maintained his 100-percent finishing rate.
“I think it’s an exciting fight,” he said of the new pairing with Alvarez. “Joel is an aggressive fighter, he comes to fight, and that is something I like. I’m going to go out there to fight, and I think it’s a matchup that matches up well for my style. I think all the right ingredients are there.
“Everything that we need to have a great fight is there,” he added. “I’m gonna go out there to do my best, and I believe my best will result in me being victorious.”
A little more than three years removed from being told he may not fight again to now competing in Brazil for the first time in nearly a decade, Luque is simply eager to enjoy the moment, and if things end up working out in his favor, he’ll enjoy that too.
“It’s gonna be great, but at the same time, it’s one more night of many great nights I’ve had, many great days,” he said. “A win in the Octagon is amazing, but at the same time, we’re walking and we’re doing what we’ve got to do.
“I’m ready for this: I’m ready to go out there and enjoy each moment of this, and when the win comes, we’re gonna enjoy that as well.”
UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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