Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque is the co-main event for UFC 260 after Alexander Volkanovski tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier Volkanovski was supposed to defend his title against Brian Ortega. But, Woodley vs Luque is an exciting welterweight matchup with some high stake.
Tyron Woodley is on a 3 fight losing streak in UFC right now. He has lost his last 14 rounds consecutively and is on the verge of getting cut from UFC. On the other hand, Vicente Luque is again on an impressive winning streak. But he tends to lose the big fights after winning a few fights and because of his inconsistency he is not inside the top 5 at the moment.
Vicente Luque likes to stand and trade strikes with his opponents, which will favor Tyron Woodley. But, is he still good enough to secure a victory over a top-ranked welterweight such as Vicente Luque? Or Will Luque overwhelm Woodley with his high volume and pace? Let’s find out.
Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque Stats
Tyron Woodley
Wins/Losses- 19/6 (12 finishes)
Striking accuracy- 49%
Grappling accuracy- 41%
Reach- 74 inches
Last 5 Fights- 3 Losses 2 wins (has lost his last 14 rounds)
Vicente Luque
Wins/Losses- 19/7 (17 finishes)
Striking accuracy- 54%
Grappling accuracy- 50%
Reach- 75.5 inches
Last 5 Fights- 3 Losses 2 wins (has lost his last 14 rounds)
Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque Prediction
There are some obvious reasons to pick Vicente Luque to beat Tyron Woodley at UFC 260. The best days of Woodley are behind him. He has lost his last three fights in a devastating fashion. He is fighting Luque, who has trained with Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. And he is coming off a horrible rib injury that he suffered during the fight against Colby Covington.
Besides that, Luque will have the reach advantage in this matchup. He is also more active inside the octagon and puts a high pace against his opponents. But, Luque gets hit a lot. Now the question is whether Tyron Woodley can land his signature right hand and finish the fight.
Fans believe that Tyron Woodley at his prime would have done better against opponents such as Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. However, Woodley fought Usman after arguably the best performance of his career against Darren Till.
The high pace, wrestling approach of Usman and Covington was a nightmare for a fighter like Woodley. The former welterweight champion is not the greatest striker we have seen in the division. But, he is certainly one of the most ferocious punchers in welterweight history. But, whenever he fights an opponent who can put a high pace and volume against him then his gameplan tends to fall apart.
Woodley is a great counter-puncher. But against Vicente Luque who is not afraid to trade strikes and who has one of the greatest chin in MMA, Woodley’s gameplan might not be enough.
Tryon Woodley will have to control the octagon and stay busy. He can not fight at his own pace against Luque and wait for an opportunity to land his right hand. Woodley should mix his wrestling and test Luque on the ground as well.
If it was not for the last three losses of Tyron Woodley, he would have been a favorite over Vicente Luque who is primarily a striker. And Woodley has done extremely well against some of the best strikers of the division such as Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler. However, Woodley is coming off three devastating losses and we don’t know whether he is completely healed after his rib injury.
Considering all these factors, Vicente Luque should win this fight via a unanimous decision.
Tyron Woodley vs Vicente Luque Prediction: Vicente Luque via decision
