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Vicente Luque feels that Kamaru Usman will retain the belt against No.1 contender Colby Covington at UFC 268 in New York City next month.
Usman and Covington will square off in a rematch at Madison Square Garden on November 6. The duo fought for the first time at UFC 245 in December 2019 where 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was victorious via TKO at 4:10 in the fifth round.
During a recent chat with MMA Fighting editor Damon Martin, Luque claimed that Kamaru Usman has the upperhand against Colby Covington because he's been more active:
"Yeah, that's what I believe. I think that Kamaru especially has been more active. So I could see more of him and Colby has had only one fight since he fought Kamaru. So it's hard to say what he has been working on, how he's gonna look in this fight. If I take the first fight in consideration, they boxed most of the fight. That's what Kamaru has evolved the most. His boxing is at another level right now. I've seen it with Gilbert's fight and then Masvidal's fight. So... by everything that I've seen, I think it would be another knockout for Kamaru," said Luque.
Watch Vicente Luque in conversation with Damon Martin below:
Usman holds a 19-1 record in his MMA career so far, while Covington is 16-2.
Vicente Luque is looking to fight Nate Diaz in a five-round bout next
In the same interview, Vicente Luque stressed that he was still interested in fighting Nate Diaz next. The 29-year-old welterweight star called out Diaz a while back and got a response from the Stockton-native last month.
'The Silent Assassin' now believes the ball is in the UFC's court to book the bout:
"He’s a great fighter, he’s a legend. Having that on my resume, that’s huge for me. I think it’s about my legacy, about showing what my style is against a tough guy like Nate. Against a guy that has already proved he’s one of the toughest in the sport. I think that it’s kind of like a no brainer for the UFC. Two tough guys that want to face each other and it’s going to be a banger of a fight," added Luque.
Vicente Luque is also actively training in Brazil, staying ready in case one of Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington misses the UFC 268 main event due to unforeseen circumstances.
