Vicente Luque vs Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51
VICENTE LUQUE VS RAFAEL DOS ANJOS FACTS
When is UFC on ESPN 51? Sunday 6August, 2023 - 00:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 51? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 51?
What channel is UFC on ESPN 51 on? TNT Sports 1
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 51? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
VICENTE LUQUE VS RAFAEL DOS ANJOS LOWDOWN
It was hard to imagine seeing Vicente Luque (21-9-1) go on a two-fight skid after finishing Niko Price (2020 - knockout), Randy Brown (2020 - knockout), Tyron Woodley (2021 – submission) and Michael Chiesa (2021 – submission) on the bounce. Those quality wins led him into the path of the elite with Belal Muhammad (2022) halting the run with a vintage unanimous decision. He then met Geoff Neal (2022) four months later and felt the wrath of one of the best performances of his career and suffering his first knockout.
Rafael dos Anjos (32-14) stays at 170 lbs hoping to push his fellow Brazilian on a three-fight skid. He has been fighting the very best lightweights and welterweights in the world for 10 years so has inevitably found winning streaks hard to come by. He went 16-8 at lightweight and is 5-4 at welterweight. He went 2-1 in his last run at 155 lbs beating Paul Felder (2020) and Renato Moicano (2022) but getting knocked out by Rafael Fiziev (2022). He marked his return to welterweight back in December last year with a ruthless submission over Bryan Barberena.
VICENTE LUQUE VS RAFAEL DOS ANJOS PREDICTION
They match up very similarly – both are extremely well-rounded with exceptional striking from a Muay Thai background and are Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. Luque has a slight edge on the feet packing more power and dos Anjos has the edge on the ground with some of the best submission skills on the entire roster.
The main difference is Luque’s size as a natural welterweight. He will boast a six-inch reach and three-inch height advantage. He will try and leverage his size and power to defend the takedowns and reverse position in the clinch.
Dos Anjos will happily trade on the feet, but he knows the easier path to victory is to grapple. Besides Chiesa, the Brazilian has only lost to elite welterweights and he will be confident wherever the fight goes.
On paper, dos Anjos is the better fighter and his five-round experience will be crucial. Luque has the boxing and power to negate all of those factors, but he will have to show a lot of character to bounce back from his recent losses against the most accomplished fighter he has fought.
We feel Luque will be able to use his power to keep the fight where he wants it for the first round or two and his left hook and straight right is likely to find a home. However, he took a lot of damage in his last fight and dos Anjos can capitalize calling upon his grappling as the fight goes on.
Prediction: Dos Anjos via Decision
