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Vicente Luque had the toughest challenge of his career when he took on Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson at UFC 244. It was a fantastic match-up stylistically that entertained fans from start to finish.
While Luque had his moments, especially in the first round, the overall fight was a display of Wonderboy's world-class striking, reminding fans that he's still one of the greatest strikers in UFC today, along with the likes of Israel Adesanya.
Though Wonderboy couldn't get the finish, he thoroughly outclassed Luque, who proved to be a tough-as-nails opponent for him. Wonderboy comfortably scored a unanimous decision victory but was full of praise for Luque, affirming to him that he still has a bright future.
It wasn't just Wonderboy who was all class. On his Instagram, Luque reflected upon his defeat and was open about the fact that he got "exposed". However, he still ended it on a positive note.
It was an honor to face this guy in the octagon! Didn’t go the way I wanted but definitely was what I needed. He exposed many things in my game and I’m gonna make sure to improve and grow after this. Gave it all I had as always and looked to put the best show I could for all of those watching! I’ll be back better then ever 🙏🏼👊🏼
Even in defeat, Luque's stock has risen. The Brazillian's tough performance earned both men the "Fight of the Night" award. This loss snapped his 6-fight win streak, but there's no doubt that the #14 ranked Welterweight will bounce back.
He'll have a lot more eyes on him in the next fight and his only other losses in the UFC were to Leon Edwards and Michael Graves. He should be able to bounce back and improve from this defeat.
