Chepe Mariscal is the UFC Vegas 90 fighter to watch

Few fighters have had the amount of high-level experience on the regional circuit before entering the Octagon as Chepe Mariscal. Now making his third appearance in the UFC, Mariscal is the fighter to watch at UFC Vegas 90. Nothing prepares you for the big time like competing against top-notch fighters. Of Mariscal's 20 fights before joining the UFC, eight came against opponents that would go on to fight in the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the world.

When your regional resume has names like Bryce Mitchell, Joanderson Brito, Gregor Gillespie, Pat Sabatini, and Youssef Zalal on it, it's only a matter of time before the UFC comes calling. Mariscal got that call in 2023 as a late replacement opponent for lightweight Trevor Peek. Pulling from his vast experience Mariscal was able to neutralize Peek's chaotic sprint to the finish style, tiring him out and eventually earning the unanimous decision victory.

Mariscal would then return to his natural weight class of featherweight to take on a very technical kickboxer with a habit of breaking legs in Jack Jenkins. Down after one round on all three judge's scorecards, Mariscal started to take over the fight, controlling and out-landing his foe before an arm injury to Jenkins halted the action at 3:19 of the second round.

Mariscal's experience really shines when you see his calm, relaxed demeanor inside the Octagon. With the confidence of a fighter who has been in the cage with some of the best in the world, you don't see the big reactions from him that you do with other fighters so early in their UFC careers. This allows him to slide just out of range of his opponent's strikes and fire back counters. When he has been hit, Mariscal has shown off an impressive chin, eating clean shots from both Peek and Jenkins, who have combined for 13 knockouts in their 21 career wins. He also does a fantastic job of mixing in takedown attempts, not always securing them, but forcing his opponents to honor the threat. This strategy leads to them being unable to match his level of comfort inside of the Octagon.

Chepe Mariscal will face Morgan Charriere at UFC Vegas 90

In his previous two bouts in the UFC, Mariscal has turned away highly touted prospects. He will have to do it again when he faces off against Morgan Charriere, a former Cage Warriors featherweight championship challenger. Charriere is an extremely accurate striker, as evidenced by the beautifully placed liver kicks that stopped Manolo Zecchini in his UFC debut. Pairing Charriere's accuracy with his durability, he's only been stopped once in 29 professional fights, makes him a tough out for anybody.

Will Mariscal be able to use his experience against high level competition to earn the upset for the third straight time in the UFC? Can he once again dictate the pace of the fight and force his opponent to engage on his terms? Fighting on a main card for this first time in his UFC career, Mariscal will get the perfect stage to answer these questions and introduce himself to the masses.