Angel Pacheco

When and why did you start training for fighting? At the age of 12 or 13, my father walked into the room and threw UFC 49 - Unfinished Business on my bed and said to watch it due to my love of WWE at the time, saying this is real fighting. I put it in and the fight that made me want to do it was Yves Edwards vs Josh Thomson. When Edwards jumped in the air and head kicked Josh, I was hooked at that moment.

What ranks and titles have you held? I am a Black belt under Brock Larson. I have the CFX featherweight belt and the (local promotion) Driller featherweight belt as a professional fighter.

What fight do you consider to be the key fight in your career and why? Probably the Danny Silva fight on DWCS I lost a decision that night but I showed I am capable of fighting till the very end and have no quit. 

Who is your favorite fighter and why? At the moment Illia Topuria he in my opinion has the most exciting style to watch.

Do you have any heroes outside of fighting? My parents have always been my heros they still are they both have worked hard on raising myself and my sisters they are by no means perfect but they did everything they could to make sure we had what we needed growing up.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It clarifies what I have believed for years, that I am one of the best fighters in the world in my weight class, and it gives me the opportunity to continue to prove it to the world.

Beyond a championship or money, what motivates you? I have always enjoyed competing in combat sports I simply want to see how far I can make it. I believe the sky is the limit but I also know time is short.

What was your job before you started fighting? I worked at UPS when I was 19 and that is when I started my amateur career. As a professional fighter, I worked for IRT, an electric recycling company. 

Favorite grappling technique: Guillotine choke

Favorite Striking technique: Left hook to the head or body

Tell us about your life outside of fighting: I have a Wife Jessica(this year will be 8 years) and we also have two children Alessia (4) and Antonio (10months) 2 cats cash and ceser outside of the gym we dont do to much my life sorta revolves around it my daughter is in jujitsu so it can feel like we are at the gym 80% of the week but aside from that I enjoy video games lately been playing a lot of fortnite but when I have more free time I do like games like elden Ring and PC games like world of warfare once we have more free time we enjoy traveling to other countries and states.

What is one thing you want UFC fans to know about you? I would rather go out on my shield than lose a comfortable decision.