After collecting a third-round stoppage win over Price in their second encounter at UFC 249, Luque took on Randy Brown three months later, stopping the talented, but unranked, “Rudeboy” at the tail end of the second round. He followed that up by submitting former champion Tyron Woodley in a wildly entertaining, chaotic affair at UFC 260, pushing his record to 9-1 over his previous 10 appearances.
But finishing “The Chosen One” in the first round didn’t produce the top-tier assignment Luque had been hoping for, leaving to accept a high-risk, lower-reward pairing against Michael Chiesa at UFC 265. Midway through the opening round, a scramble ensued, and just like he’d done to Woodley, Luque quickly laced up a D’Arce choke on Chiesa, forcing the former lightweight to tap.
Now, even with four straight wins and consecutive first-round finishes, Luque has remained on the outside looking in when it comes to the title picture, resulting in his landing opposite the similarly positioned Muhammad for a second time this weekend.
“If guys want to avoid that, it’s on them, and I think the fans and the UFC know who is avoiding me,” said Luque, who has gone 14-3 inside the Octagon since reaching the biggest stage in the sport with a modest 7-4-1 record. “If you don’t want to fight the best, there is something wrong with you and you don’t want to be the best.
“I know that I’m one of the best — I’m not the best yet because I have to get that title — but I’m one of the best, and if people want to be the best, they have to go through me as well and take these fights.”
As frustrating as not getting paired off against the biggest names in the division clearly is for Luque, it’s something wholly understandable from an outsider’s perspective because the guy is an absolute menace in every facet and at all times once he steps inside the cage.
