What’s next for Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos after UFC Vegas 78?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 78, welterweight contenders threw down as 10th-ranked welterweight Vicente Luque took on former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.

Luque entered the fight coming off back-to-back losses and last August, he suffered a knockout loss to Geoff Neal that caused a brain hemorrhage. Prior to that, he lost a five-round decision to Belal Muhammad which snapped his four-fight win streak that included notable wins over Tyron Woodley and Michael Chiesa. Rafael dos Anjos, meanwhile, was coming off a submission win over Bryan Barberena in his return to the welterweight division.

Ultimately, it was Luque who won a five-round decision as he was able to outland dos Anjos and was also 8-0f-11 on takedowns to secure the win. Now, after UFC Vegas 78, here is what I think should be next for both Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos.

Vicente Luque

Vicente Luque put on a great performance on Saturday in a fight he needed to win. For a while, Luque was considered the dark horse of the welterweight division, but after back-to-back losses, he had to prove he still was a contender in this division. Ultimately, Luque showed off his well-rounded skills and was able to get a hard-fought decision win over dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 78.

Now, following the win, Luque will likely look to fight in front of him and a fight that does make a lot of sense is to take on Sean Brady, once Brady is healthy. Both men are in the top 10 and the winner would be right back to where they were before recent losses. It’s also a fight that could serve as a main event.

Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael dos Anjos fought a good fight but it was a bit too little too late and he came up short against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 78.

Heading into the fight, dos Anjos said he would likely be spending the rest of his career at welterweight, and at this point in his career, he deserves fun fights. If Dustin Poirier does indeed move up to welterweight booking those two in a Fight Night main event makes a ton of sense.