Chepe Mariscal (16-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) Defeated his opponent by split decision, extending his winning streak to six. morgan charriere (19-10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) Saturday at UFC Apex.
Mariscal felt he did what he wanted to do against Charrière and graded his performance an “A-“. He had fun and had a good match. He said Charriere has a very high fighter IQ and is a very formidable opponent.
“He definitely tested me and some of my limits,” Mariscal told MMASucka. “He showed me how much I have evolved.”
Mariscal muddied the waters in the first and third rounds, pushing Charrière into the clinch and pushing the pace with success. Two judges made decisions in the aforementioned two rounds, and he won by split decision.
“Honestly, it’s a little tiring trying to be the clean, technical fighter that I am, but when you put pressure on and keep throwing punches and keep putting pressure on, it interrupts your flow. Breathing, mind, motivation. Please interrupt,” Mariscal said.
Mariscal addressed criticism from coaches, fighters and others that he punched Charrière inside the Octagon.
“Some coaches and fighters think that hitting doesn't work, but it actually does,” he says. “If I hit you hard enough, your ears will start ringing. That's when I fought in Apex. I'll hit him in the ears so he can't hear the corner. 'Cause His corner is right there, it's quieter, there's less fans.' We needed to play more strategically in this match, and it worked. ”
Mariscal said he brought old school style into a new era. He changes his stance, changes his attack and looks for a takedown. And even if his attempt doesn't work, he feels it opens the door to other strategies.
“Pressure him against the cage, create some different movement, get some strikes, go for a takedown. That's what I did in this match,” he said. “I had more output. I was throwing more strikes. I was landing more strikes. I had him touch his knees to the canvas. I felt like those were going to count as points. I was outclassing this guy. I was putting pressure on him. I was doing what I had to do to win this fight. It was a great fight. He's a great fighter. He will kill the next guy he fights for any amount of money. I maintain that I did enough to win.”
Mariscal said he knew Charriere was doing enough to stand up in the hitting department.
“When he beat me, he didn't do anything. He didn't progress. He didn't throw no grounders and pounds. I felt it. So depending on the position, I couldn't move forward. He just held me. He didn't throw any punches, he didn't try to get into position. When I did that, it was because I was trying to get out. He put me in the guillotine and I got out of the guillotine. I took all of his submissions and was applying strikes. When he was trying to do the anaconda, I threw a sneaky elbow. I kept fighting it. MMA fights. Like, “This is just grappling,” or, “This is just grappling. I’m just hitting.’ No, it wasn’t like that. I mixed it up to make it clear that this is my style. ”
Charriere won the second round on all three judges' scorecards. He patiently fought back against Marsical and landed more effective attacks. Mariscal knew he needed to step up even further in the third round and wreak havoc again in a bout that was determined to have to finish 1-1 or on the judges' scorecards in the corners. And Mariscal said he was looking for that finish.
“I wasn't trying to hold him back or stall him. I came to fight. I wanted to go for the finish at all costs. Ground and pound. Regardless. I kept it fun and stayed active. We kept it that way and did it from every standpoint.”
Mariscal had two big moments in the third round. He blitzed Charriere early with heavy combinations against the cage, then got on top of Charriere for ground and pound with 40 seconds left. After he went back and forth for four minutes in the final frame, Marsical feels his last 40 seconds or so gave him the victory.
“I remember being in a weird position on one leg, holding that position. I was waiting for him to move forward and I was trying to go into a submission so I could move or something. I thought, “Okay, am I going to wait for him or am I going to go?'' The person who gave me fuel when I was told “1 minute left.'' . I heard my partner's voice. It energized me and I was like, “Let's go.” I just put him on my back. My coach is all about settling at the top, confusing them a bit and then letting them settle down. That's what I did. Then I started adding punches to show the judges that I was doing ground and pound on the ground. It's not just about holding it. He is showing that he is active. So I felt like I won. ”
Mariscal said he showed more effort than his opponent in every round.
“I gave it my all. I gave it my all. That's the thing. I was showing the judges, 'Hey, I'm here to fight.' This guy might try to fight back against this whole fucking fight. I'll show you what I'm fighting for. ”
Coach Mariscal said Charriere is a great counter fighter, so he wants to move him aggressively and break him down with pressure.
“I was just playing like a dance floor. I was just trying to keep him in the center, keep him in the cage, keep him in the center zone, the middle, everything. I just wanted the judges to say, 'This The guy obviously put more effort into his striking and made it into a mixed martial arts fight.''I just tried to make it a real fight for people to see.''
Mariscal said he doesn't really like badmouthing people after games, but said he would like to make up for his two losses someday.
bryce mitchellCurrently ranked 10th in the featherweight division, he defeated Marsical by unanimous decision at V3 Fights 60 in June 2017.
“I want it back,” Mariscal said. “It would be great to be able to fill in my storyline and my career. All the things that I had to go through. My journey to get into the UFC, he was a part of that too. It would be cool to bring it back.”
He said a rematch would also be “great” Joan Delson Brito.
“The one who knocked me out in the main event of LFA was [in 2019]” Mariscal said. “He kicked me in the groin. He made some lucky shots and then got a lucky overhand. I feel like I'm a different version of myself now, so I want to fight anyone.”
Mariscal said he did not choose Charrière or trevor peake or jack jenkinshe also has wins in the UFC.
“The hotline was ready. All the calls were short notice, so I was like, 'Let's just go.'”
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