LAS VEGAS – Vicente Luque has had bumps in the road, even as recently as April when he lost to Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision.
Entering Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 40 co-main event with Geoff Neal, however, Luque (21-8-1 MMA, 14-4 UFC) thinks he’s closer than ever to UFC welterweight gold. With the focus on the short-term, Luque told reporters at Wednesday’s media day he’d be lying if he said the long-term wasn’t on his mind, too.
“It’s hard for me not to think about it, but that’s not the focus,” Luque told MMA Junkie. “The focus right now is beating Geoff. He’s the man. He’s the guy I’ve got to go past to move back into that title conversation, which I was (in) and I can get back to. I see I’m closer to the title fight than I’ve ever been, even with a setback. It didn’t set me that back. A win over Geoff can put me back into the mix. That’s the focus right now, get back into that mix, get a big win. It’s got to be a big one against Geoff. Then, we can think about what’s next.”
