‘I Got My A** Beat’- Vicente Luque Details His Sparring Sessions With Kamaru Usman

Published 08/13/2021, 8:36 AM EDT

UFC welterweight prospect Vicente Luque recently appeared for an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. The discussions ranged from a fight against Nate Diaz to sparring sessions with the reigning UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

Luque is currently flying high after picking up back-to-back first-round wins. He first made quick work of former welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, at UFC 260 via brabo choke. ‘The Silent Assassin’ then did the same to Michael ‘Maverick’ Chiesa, recently at UFC 265.

Caught up with Vicente Luque (@VicenteLuqueMMA), who is back in Brazil. He's hopeful his next fight could be for the UFC title, against former teammate Kamaru Usman. I asked him how he used to do against Kamaru in the gym, he didn't hold back in his answer … pic.twitter.com/4ntwaDi7cu
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 12, 2021

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He is making his way towards a title fight in a division full of contenders. While it would still take some time for him to challenge for the title, he at least knows what to expect when he squares up against Usman. The latter is presently the favorite in his rematch against Colby Covington, later this year.

‘The Silent Assassin’, who has had many sparring sessions with Usman, detailed how tough it is to face him even in training. “It’s hard to say how many times I trained with him, but I did train a lot, let’s say 40, 30 sparring rounds, at least, even more than that,” Luque said.

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“I can honestly say, most of the time I got my a** beat,” Luque added. “Just because he has always been really good in every discipline. I would say I’m a little bit better at striking but right now. You see he’s striking against the best. He knocked out Masvidal.”

Luque further added that even though he was behind, he was learning a lot from Usman in wrestling, grappling, and the scramble.

Vicente Luque issues a warning to Kamaru Usman

Although Luque (21-7) accepted he got overshadowed by Usman, he can’t wait to show his improvements to the Nigerian. “I would say most of the time I got my a** wh**ped. But it’s part of learning and that’s really important for me to get to the level I’m at right now.”

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“I think it’s a different fight now, even if we trained now he would realize, yeah Vicente has grown a lot, he has really evolved and that’s why I feel ready to fight against him and really put him in danger and get that title.”

Luque certainly has to be patient to get a fight against Usman. Even though his last win pushed him to the top 5, he still has a certain Leon Edwards ahead of him in the title race. The welterweight division is certainly shaping up nicely as we move forward.

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What did you make of Luque’s comments on his sparring sessions with Usman?

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Akshyay Mahapatra is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He wished to combine his passion for the UFC (that he has been following since 2008) as well as his love for writing. This motivated him to enter the world of combat sports journalism.

‘I Got My A** Beat’- Vicente Luque Details His Sparring Sessions With Kamaru Usman

Vicente Luque issues a warning to Kamaru Usman

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