Athletes
Chepe Mariscal: 'I Just Love The Game'
After Taking The Long Road To The Octagon, Chepe Mariscal Hopes To Make The Most Of His Chances At UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland
Chepe Mariscal still keeps his Illinois phone number, but for the last seven years, the UFC featherweight has been in Colorado, fighting and honing his craft while waiting for the day when those three letters: U-F-C were on his four-ounce gloves.
And it was a wait, for sure.
“I kind of wanted to get godfathered in when I was in the TJ Dillashaw camp,” Mariscal laughs. “I was like, ‘Hey man, say a good word for me.’ But obviously, this game, some people have that star power and some people don't. And, at that point, I didn't know if we had good relationships like that, so I was like, you know what, I'm going to do it my way. I'm going to get in by myself. I know I got in the UFC the hard way. I fought everybody, I never turned down a tough fight, and it just got me more prepared for the big show.”
When Mariscal says he fought everybody, he’s not kidding. In 20 fights before his UFC debut against Trevor Peek in June, the Cicero native fought eight UFC vets, including Gregor Gillespie, Pat Sabatini and Bryce Mitchell. He won some, lost some, but he was getting elite level tests every time, proving that he was ready even if he had doubts occasionally.
“It was tough, especially because I have losses,” he said. “I was a little hard on myself, as well. I didn't really believe in it and I was already looking at different promotions and even different careers. I was like, maybe if I don't get in the UFC, I'll just go and do something else. But suddenly something changed. I had a teammate go to the UFC, he had a short notice call, he won by knockout, and it just drove me to keep going. And then suddenly two or three weeks later, I got the call, and finally I was in.”
Adesanya vs Strickland Stats Breakdown | Order UFC 293
It was ten days to fight day against the unbeaten Peek, but Mariscal wasn’t going to rely on those ten days because he had been training his entire career for this moment, and he delivered, winning a three-round unanimous decision that was a revelation to some, but a validating effort to most who followed the career of the 30-year-old “Machine Gun,” especially the man himself, whose early philosophy of testing himself constantly paid off.
“I remember this one pro, he was 8-0, a regional kind of guy, but he was a big name and he had easy fights,” said Mariscal. “I was like, man, this guy is beating all these dudes and they're from our area and he's going to be a star. But then, later on, I saw the records of the guys he fought, and I thought, holy cow, this guy obviously should have killed all these dudes. And then when I saw him fight real competition, he got destroyed. At that point, I said you really got to fight the best to be the best. If you train with lions, you're going to become a lion. And I never said no to any fight. I'm fighting everybody and anybody. It's who I am.”
MMA Coaches Break Down UFC 293 Main Event
Now he’s traveled all the way to Australia to get into a fistfight with surging Jack Jenkins. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I just love the game,” Mariscal said. “I love fighting, and I love making it grow.”
UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland took place live from Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia on September 9, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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