MMA fans got some bad news on Thursday when the anticipated fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Vicente Luque was postponed. Originally slated to headline a UFC card in Las Vegas on July 15, the matchup has been pushed back to Aug 12. According to reports, it is expected that dos Anjos vs Luque will still serve as a five round main event for the August show.
Rafael dos Anjos is making his second foray into welterweight after defeating Bryan Barberena last December. For his part, Vicente Luque looks to bounce back from two consecutive losses against Geoff Neal and Belal Muhammad. With this delay in place, Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva have replaced the duo at the top of July’s card with verbal agreements already in place for their bantamweight bout though no contracts have yet been issued or signed.
The move also affects International Fight Week 2023 as UFC 290 – scheduled one week before dos Anjos vs Luque – will now serve as its peak event instead of what would’ve been an exciting addition by way of this pairing had it gone ahead unscheduled on July 15th. It’s not entirely clear what caused the postponement but hopefully both fighters remain healthy until they can finally square off against each other next month at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Despite MMA fans having their hopes dashed with news of cancellation, supporters are sure that this highly-anticipated showdown won’t disappoint whenever it takes place after nearly two months away from each otherBoth Rafael dos Anjos and Vicente Luque are talented fighters who have competed against the best in their respective divisions and a win here for either will serve as a great addition to their impressive résumé.
The matchup also has potential to provide an added boost for whoever wins given that both individuals currently sit close to each other on the official UFC rankings with Rafael dos Anjos taking up the fifth spot at welterweight while Vicente Luque holds down the ninth. A victory from either party could lead to higher placings on said list or even better opportunities going forward, making this faceoff one of importance for all involved.
Until then, MMA fans can look forward to International Fight Week 2023 when UFC 290 arrives with some exciting matchups like Frankie Edgar vs Edson Barboza. In addition, former interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo is also expected to make his return after a stint away since his unanimous decision loss against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 237 back in May 2019. With such big names being linked that week and including whatever ends up coming out of UFC APEX’s August 12th card headlined by Rafael dos Anjos and Vincete Luque, it looks like there’s no shortage of action waiting around the corner for mixed martial arts fans alike!
Comments:
That fight was gonna be fire!! Such a shame it had to get postponed. Looks like Holly Holm and Mayra Bueno Silva will have to scratch the itch in the mean time.
Definitely would’ve been good to see RDA back at Welterweight. We can only hope he’ll still do well against Luque despite the delay.
It’s still nice that UFC managed to find a replacement for when it gets pushed back. I’m sure even with them, fans won’t be disappointed.
I guess we have no choice but wait for August 12th if we want this fight to happen. Until then, let’s enjoy what UFC 290 has got to offer!
I was really looking forward to seeing Rafael dos Anjos and Vincete Luque go head-to-head on July 15th, but hopefully all goes well with their rescheduled date of August 12th.
Given the circumstances, this looks like an interesting matchup since both fighters are around each other in terms of rankings so a win here would make quite a difference in who comes out on top overall.