'It was great to have done that' - Vicente Luque reveals what he learned from helping Gilbert Burns prepare for Tyron Woodley
Vicente Luque is glad he helped Gilbert Burns during a training camp while the later prepared to fight former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Burns and Woodley fought in May 2020, the Brazilian getting the victory which qualified him for a title shot with the current division's titleholder, Kamaru Usman.
No. 10 in the 175 lb rankings, Vicente Luque assisted his compatriot in preparation for the fight, imitating Woodley's movements in training ahead of the event.
Now, 'The Silent Assassin' will enter the octagon against the same opponent he "pretended" to be for a whole camp. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Vicente Luque revealed what he has learned from the experience.
"Yeah, I mean, it was great to have done that because I watched a lot of tape on [Tyron] Woodley for that fight. And I was kind of emulating him, kind of fighting on his style. Like, physically, we're different. I'm a little bit taller than him, but I would try to kind of act like he does in the fight. So, that helps me a lot now, you know. I did watch tape on him again and made sure I know the tendencies he has on the fight," Vicente Luque said.
The two will lock horns against each other on March 28 at UFC 260. The event will have two title fights, with heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defending his title against Francis Ngannou and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski trying to keep the belt away from Brian Ortega.
Vicente Luque thinks he has Tyron Woodley "figured out"
Vicente Luque
Apart from the help he gave to Gilbert Burns during the training camp, Vicente Luque also served as a cornerman for the Brazilian fighter during the clash with Tyron Woodley.
The Silent Assassin believes that having seen the "Chosen One" perform that close has given him insights on how to fight Woodley on March 28.
"Watching Gilbert [Burns] fight Woodley from that, you know, front row, as a cornerman, you know, just gave me that view of. I've seen it in the octagon. I've seen Woodley fighting. I kind of know his timing," Vicente Luque said.
"Obviously, it's different when we're going to fight, and he has a lot of time to improve, to change, so I'm going to be ready for that too, you know. It's not like, 'okay, I got him completely figured out in my mind,' and I'm just going to go in there and beat him. I know that it doesn't go on like that, but I think I have, you know, a lot of good things going for me," he concluded.