UFC welterweight veteran Vicente Luque believes that Islam Makhachev’s entrance in the 170-pound class will be “very cool,” and he expects the Russian star to be successful.
Size could be an issue, though.
Makhachev, a 5-foot-10 lightweight with a 70.5-inch reach, reigned among lightweights with 15 wins in a row, finishing Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano before deciding to move up a weight class for a second belt. Makhachev would have a height and reach disadvantage against welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena and all athletes currently ranked in the top 15.
“I’ve trained with him a few times, so I can say that he really is very good on the ground, a ton of pressure and technique,” Luque told MMA Fighting. “He’s not weak for the division. I don’t know how he’s working, if he’s looking to add more weight and maybe more power compared to when we trained, since he was always fighting at 155. But he has a lot of pressure and isometric strength.”
Makhachev was able to dominate the opposition with his wrestling and submission skills at lightweight, tapping out many jiu-jitsu black belts over his career, but doing the same in a weight class 15 pounds heavier could be more difficult. Especially since he’s expected to make his welterweight debut against newly-crowned champion Della Maddalena, who scored five finishes over his 8-0 run under the UFC banner.
“His ground game is very refined, right?” Luque said of Makhachev. “As for the height, he’s not that tall, but if he compensates with the ground, with his top-notch wrestling, I think he won’t have problems in the division. Of course that it’s different, we’re stronger. It could be more difficult as the fight progresses, three or five rounds, and the power is a whole other game. That makes a difference. We undoubtedly hit harder than the guys at 155. If he can’t close the distance, that could be a difficulty. Let’s see how this fight goes. He’s super tough, so I don’t think we can say he has no chances. He has a good chance at coming in and becoming champion, but he will have to work hard.”
Does that mean Luque expect Makhachev to manhandle Della Maddalena on the ground with his superior grappling to earn a second UFC belt? Not so fast.
“I think there are many factors [in a fight],” Luque said. “Many people think only about grappling. If this were a submission tournament I’d say, ‘He’ll guy the kill’. He’s so good on the ground. But MMA is more complex. And when you’re grappling against heavier guys, that demands more strength, it wears you off. There are several factors that we have to see how he adapts. I’d imagine he’s already training with bigger guys. Let’s see. We have to see in the fight.”
The UFC has yet to announce a date for Makhachev shot at glory. In the meantime, Luque gears up for his first fight in 2025 when he faces Kevin Holland at this weekend’s UFC 316 in Newark. The Brazilian made short work of Themba Gorimbo in his most recent octagon appearance back in December, and aims to keep the momentum going after an always-busy “Trailblazer” on June 7.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Luque said. “It’s a great match-up for me style-wise. I like to fight aggressive opponents, people that come to fight. I can counter and capitalize on their aggressiveness, on the feet and on the ground. I can’t predict too much because he’s very unpredictable in the sense that I don’t know if he will stand and trade or try to take me down, but I’m prepared in all areas and with all tools sharp. I’m confident, and I’m ready for everything.”
Luque and Holland are two of the most active welterweights in the UFC roster, with the Brazilian entering his 23rd octagon appearance across a decade and Holland making his 26th walk to the cage since his debut in 2018. Holland will already make his third fight in 2025, and Luque sees the advantage of having slowed down in recent years.
“Being active gets you sharp, but you don’t develop new tricks. I became more predictable,” Luque said. “I’m studying his fights and preparing for what he does, but I’m also prepared for something surprising. But if he comes the way he’s fighting recently, he could be more predictable. I don’t know what his goal is. I for one am focused on climbing to the top of the division. That’s why I’m not so worried about taking all the fights I can. I think that also changes our focus in the fight. I’m focused on going there and winning in dominant fashion against Holland.”
“That busy run I did was great, when I did several fights [in 2018 and 2019], and it also put me well ranked in the division at that time, but I think the moment is different now,” he continued. “I’ve been in the top 5, I’ve showed my potential. Many people I’ve fought are now on a rise, like Belal [Muhammad] and [Joaquin] Buckley. I never had easy fights, and always went there to give my best and be competitive. So I think that’s something I’ve noticed, that it’s time to take the right fights. That doesn’t mean I won’t fight maybe twice more this year. If it’s the right fights against opponents that make sense and I’m ok, [I’ll do it], but fighting just to fight, to stay active without a goal, that’s not the moment.
“My goal is to go back to the top this year, to climb to the top, so I have to be smart. And I think I’ve proven that I have the skills to be at the top. I don’t need to be fighting everybody and testing myself against everybody anymore. I have to take the fights that take me [top the top].”
