Vicente Luque gets new opponent for UFC Atlantic City

Vicente Luque will now face Joaquin Buckley in the co-main event of UFC Atlantic City on March 30, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.

UFC CEO Dana White originally announced that Luque (22-9-1) would be competing against Sean Brady that night at the Boardwalk Hall, however the welterweight match was never a done deal since Brady was still recovering from an injury when offered the bout.

This will be Luque’s third attempt to compete after back-to-back matches failed to come to fruition. Most recently, Ian Machado Garry withdrew from their Dec. 16 clash at UFC 296 due to illness. The Brazilian was last seen in action in August, defeating Rafael dos Anjos in a five-round main event.

Buckley (17-6) enters the biggest fight of his career after winning two in a row over Andre Fialho and Alex Morono in 2023. The 29-year-old talent has won seven of 11 bouts under the UFC banner, with five knockouts and four performance bonuses to his credit.

UFC Atlantic City is headlined by a flyweight showdown between Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot.

Mike Heck and Damon Martin contributed to this report.