Nothing about Vicente Luque screamed future Ultimate Fighting Championship contender when he jumped into the professional mixed martial arts pool as a teenager. While his record stood at 2-2-1 through his first five appearances, those initial brushes with adversity forced him to push harder on Brazil’s cutthroat regional scene and cleared the way for progress.
“I think I started out too young,” Luque told Sherdog.com. “I was 17 years old and didn’t have much experience. At the same time, I never chose my opponents. Often, I’d face someone more seasoned, someone older with several more fights on their record.