A bout between top-10 contenders Vicente Luque and Rafael Dos Anjos has just been confirmed to headline UFC Fight Night 226 on July 15th at a currently undisclosed location, per MMA Fighting.
This five-round fight takes place in the Welterweight (170 lbs) division.
Vicente Luque holds a professional record of 21-9-1 (14-5 UFC) and is ranked #10 at Welterweight. He has notable wins over Michael Chiesa, Belal Muhammad, and Tyron Woodley.
Rafael Dos Anjos holds a professional record of 32-14 (21-12 UFC) and is ranked #9 in the Lightweight division. He holds credible wins over Robbie Lawler, Nate Diaz, and Renato Moicano.
Official odds have yet to be released.
Vicente Luque looked like a future champion throughout his rise during 2020 and 2021 but was set back in 2022 following back-to-back losses to Belal Muhammad and Geoff Neal. Luque was riding a four-fight winning streak before facing Muhammad, including finishes over Michael Chiesa and former Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley. However, he would lose via unanimous decision to Muhammad and then suffer a third-round TKO to Neal in his comeback. He'll be looking to snap his two-fight losing streak heading into this matchup against the veteran Dos Anjos.
It feels like Rafael Dos Anjos has been around forever, and with his UFC epoch starting in 2010, it's only natural to feel that way. Dos Anjos has expressed his interest in only taking exciting fights from here on and, in recent years, has put on some fantastic performances. He would have phenomenal back-to-back fights against Renato Moicano and Rafael Fiziev and then put on a shutout performance against Bryan Barberena in his last bout. A victory over Luque will place him directly inside the top 10 at Welterweight, and he'll be looking to use his complete skillset to gain his twenty-second octagon win.
This is a brilliant matchup inside the Welterweight division. So who do you have winning? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your prediction in the comments below.