A thrilling slugfest between welterweights Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena at UFC on ESPN in Phoenix ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday night.
Luque looked like he was going to end things early on when he came out firing with powerful big left-right combos, but it was a tight choke that looked like it might end things early. However, Barberena somehow managed to pop free.
Barberena found new life in the second, though. While Luque established some technical striking, it was Barberena's powerful punches that had the most impact. Towards the end of the round, Barberena landed an incredibly powerful strike that knocked Luque to the mat, but he recovered quickly.
The third was a back-and-forth affair that towards the end looked like it might come down to a judges' decision; however, the final minute proved to be the difference. Luque managed a devastating right followed by two strong kicks that sent Barberena down to his knees. Completely gassed, Barberena absorbed blow after blow before the ref stepped in and called it.
After what could be a fight of the year, Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena spoke about the bout inside the Octagon.
It was Vicente Luque's fourth straight win. He has now won eight of his last nine fights. MMA Lab's Bryan Barberena, who had never been knocked out in his 20-fight MMA career, has now dropped two of his past three.