The MMA Daily

The co-main event comes in the Welterweight division, as Vicente Luque takes on Geoff Neal. Coming off a disappointing loss to Belal Muhammad, which ended a four-fight win streak, Luque returns to the octagon looking to get back on track. Still ranked 6th in the division, and being a fresh face for Kamaru Usman, Luque could realistically be a two or three wins from earning a title shot. Meanwhile, Neal comes into this fight off a big win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. One in which saw a two-fight skid come to an end, as well as earned him this opportunity to catapult himself into the top ten with a victory.

This could be an electric fight, as both men profile as strikers. Luque, is one the most dangerous Welterweight’s on the roster. Well rounded, Luque can finish a fight both on the feet and the mat. As evident by the fact that he has recorded eleven knockouts and eight submissions in his twenty-one victories. With fourteen UFC wins, thirteen of which he has won via stoppage, Luque is one more finish away from tying Matt Brown as the UFC’s all-time Welterweight leader in finishes. A truly remarkable feat, as Luque is a only 30 years old. As for Neal, he is a striker to the core. A powerful one at that, as he has won eight of his fourteen wins via knockout. With a diverse striking arsenal, Neal has proven that his hands aren’t the only thing made of steel, his legs are too. As evident by the two head kick knockouts in two of his five victories in the UFC.

Bound to be an exciting fight, I’m going to side with Luque. In what appeared to be an off performance by the Brazilian in his recent fight against Belal Muhammad, Luque should be at his best when he steps in the octagon. Not having to worry about being taken down, Luque will get back to his roots of being the high output striker he is. With power in his hands too, and having never been stopped via strikes, Luque has several factors working in his favor. In the end, I predict that the first team all-violence Luque wins via TKO,