“Even though I wasn’t born here, I feel I’m a ‘Brasiliense’ because I grew up here,” Vicente Luque once said, perfectly capturing the cross-border story behind his ethnicity. Born in the U.S. to Brazilian and Chilean parents but raised in Brasília, he has an identity that is anything but one-dimensional.
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Where is Vicente Luque from and what is Vicente Luque’s nationality?
Vicente Luque was born Vicente Catta Preta Luque on November 27, 1991, in Westwood, New Jersey, United States. He is 34 years old as of August 2026. Although born in America, Luque is widely regarded as Brazilian, and the UFC lists him as a Brazilian fighter. The UFC has also described him as a naturalized Brazilian, reflecting his strong connection to the country.
His family background adds another layer to his identity. Luque’s mother is Brazilian, and his father is Chilean, and his family’s movements meant that his early life was split between the United States and South America. When he was six years old, he moved to Brasília, Brazil, with his mother, where he grew up and developed the connection to the city that remains central to his fighting identity. He has said that despite being born in New Jersey, he considers himself a Brasiliense because he grew up there. Luque is also multilingual, speaking Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
What is Vicente Luque’s ethnicity?
Vicente Luque has a mixed Latin American heritage, with his family roots connecting Brazil and Chile. He was born in Westwood, New Jersey, but his cultural identity was shaped largely by his upbringing in Brazil. UFC and other reputable MMA sources consistently identify him as the son of a Brazilian mother and a Chilean father.
Luque’s maternal side has an interesting international history. His maternal grandmother was a Brazilian diplomat who lived and worked in Chile, where Luque’s mother was raised and met his Chilean father. The family later moved to the United States, where Luque was born. When he was six, his parents separated, and he moved to Brasília, Brazil, with his mother.
His Brazilian heritage is particularly prominent in his public identity. Although American-born, Luque has long represented Brazil in MMA and has described Brasília as his hometown, where he grew up. His connection to Chile is equally meaningful. In a 2018 UFC interview, he explained that his father was Chilean and that he still had grandparents, uncles, and cousins living there.
Is Vicente Luque Christian?
Yes. Vicente Luque has publicly spoken about his Christian faith and his relationship with God and Jesus, particularly following the serious health scare that came after his August 2022 fight with Geoff Neal.
In a 2025 interview published by the UFC, Luque explained that his recovery from a subdural hematoma became a major turning point in his spiritual life. He said, “That’s also when I had the encounter with God, started learning more about Jesus, and it changed my perspective.” He described the experience as giving him a different sense of purpose beyond fighting.
Luque has also spoken about using his UFC platform to express those beliefs. In the same UFC interview, he said he now wants to “glorify the name of God” and do his best according to what he believes. He credited his faith with helping him appreciate his career and recovery differently.
There are also reports that Luque publicly embraced Christianity through baptism, although the UFC’s own account is the stronger source for his stated beliefs.
Therefore, it is reasonable to describe Vicente Luque as a Christian, based on his own recent comments about God, Jesus, and his faith. His public statements suggest that Christianity has become an important part of how he views his life and fighting career.
Luque’s story proves that identity is not always defined by a birthplace. Born in New Jersey but shaped by Brazilian life and Chilean family roots, his background is a blend of cultures that makes Vicente Luque’s ethnicity especially intriguing. His own words say it best: he may not have been born in Brasília, but he considers it home.