The UFC has finalized a big time welterweight matchup for July featuring a former world champion. MMA Fighting was the first to report earlier today that former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos (32-14) will take on fellow Brazilian Vicente Luque (21-9-1).
The matchup will headline a UFC Fight Night on July 15th. For Luque, he will enter the bout looking to snap a two-fight losing streak. Entering 2022, it appeared that Luque was only a win away from securing a shot at the welterweight title.
However, a loss to Belal Muhammad that snapped his four-fight winning streak dashed those hopes. In looking to bounce back, Luque took a fight against Geoff Neal and was stopped in the third round. Now, he’ll look to avoid his third straight loss.
UFC Headliner
Rafael Dos Anjos isn’t fighting for world titles at this stage in his career. The former lightweight champion moved down to 155 in late 2020 looking to make one more run at the lightweight title. He started strong with two wins against Paul Felder then Renato Moicano.
Following those two wins, RDA took on Rafael Fiziev in a headliner. The fight was really close throughout, but Fiziev landed a massive left hook just seconds into the final round and won by knockout. Following the knockout loss, the former UFC champion changed his aspirations for the rest of his career.
Instead of hunting world titles, he just wants to fight fun fights that will entertain the fans. He started out by moving back to 170 and taking on Bryan Barberena in December. He was dominant and won by second round submission. Now, he’ll take this headliner against Luque hoping for another signature and fun win.