Vicente Luque wasted no time setting his sights on a marquee name at middleweight, calling out Jared Cannonier after a successful divisional debut at UFC 327 in Miami.
The longtime welterweight, who recently moved up to 185 pounds, submitted Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 327 and now wants Cannonier as his next opponent. Cannonier previously challenged for the UFC middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in 2022 and owns recent wins over Sean Strickland, Marvin Vettori and Gregory Rodrigues, along with a loss to Michael Page by unanimous decision at UFC 319.
"Someone who I'd like specifically – I think it would be great for me, but also the fans – would be Jared Cannonier," Luque said. "He's a veteran, just like me, but already established in the division and in the rankings. I believe he doesn't have a fight at the moment. For me, it's a very interesting match. It's a fight between two veterans with great styles. That's a fight I would love. He's in the rankings."
Luque, a former top-five welterweight who never fought for the title at 170 pounds, made it clear his ambitions at middleweight are aimed at the top. "I don't know how you do this without the desire to become champion," he said, adding, "This change was to improve, to get better. For me, that's the plan: Reach the top."
