It seems that Damar Hamlin was not the one one who made a sporting comeback in opposition to all odds on Saturday.
Hours after the NFL star returned to his Buffalo Bills following a cardiac arrest on the sphere in January, UFC fighter Vicente Luque made a successful return after struggling a mind hemorrhage throughout his final battle.
Luque defeated Rafael dos Anjos through unanimous resolution within the welterweight primary occasion at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas – a 12 months and per week after his life was virtually perpetually modified.
On August 6, 2022, Luque was knocked out by rival fighter Geoff Neal and was later identified with a mind hemorrhage.
The 31-year-old mentioned on Saturday after his win: “I’m a cold guy but I can tell you I’m very emotional at the moment. I came back stronger than ever. I beat a former champion at his game.
UFC fighter Vicente Luque made a winning return on Saturday after a brain hemorrhage
Luque (left) won a unanimous points decision over Rafael dos Anjos during his UFC comeback
Luque admitted he was nervous about getting hit again on his return to the fight
“It’s a miracle for me to be here. Many people know what happened to me a year ago. I was never afraid of anything, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do this again.
“In the first round I was afraid of getting hit. It had been a year without a fight. I didn’t know how I would react. Now I’m going to improve and study this and get better.
Luque was caught early by some left hands and an elbow by Dos Anjos, but it seemed those blows took away any fear Luque had of getting hit.
He landed a career-high eight takedowns against Dos Anjos – the second most the Brazilian had allowed behind Kamaru Usman at 12. Luque improved to 22-9-1 in MMA as Dos Anjos dropped to 32-15.
Luque is ready to go from strength to strength and targets Dustin Poirier for his next fight.
“An interesting fight too, I think I’d be happy to welcome Dustin Poirier, if he needs someone,” he mentioned.
“He mentioned he may go to 170, so who is aware of? We might make that work.’
