Chepe Mariscal embarrassed by weight miss for UFC on ESPN 61: 'I didn't even want to come to the arena'

LAS VEGAS – Chepe Mariscal’s fourth fight in the UFC was almost flawless.

Mariscal (17-6 MMA, 4-0 UFC) got his hand raised, dominated a tough veteran in Damon Jackson, and competed in his first UFC co-main event slot. However, despite all the good that went down at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 61 which took place at the UFC Apex, Mariscal missed weight for the fight, coming in 3.5 pounds over the featherweight limit.

Mariscal was not happy to come in heavy for the biggest fight of his MMA career thus far.

“We kind of calculated the weight cut wrong, especially with the Vegas heat, and kind of shot my body,” Mariscal told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 61 post-fight interview. “Honestly, I was so embarrassed that I was going to probably through the fight because I have so much respect for the people that lose the weight, do the time, and do everything else. That’s why I felt bummed and didn’t want to embarrass myself.

“I didn’t even want to come to the arena, but my corner kept me in line. They were like, ‘Man, we have to do what we can. If they don’t want to fight, that’s fine, but we have to try to do what we can,’ and we did. They got a little extra percentage off that, and I was willing to give up the pay and whatever, they were down to fight. We just said yes, and we went out there and performed.”

With the win over Jackson (23-7-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC), Marsical is now on a seven-fight winning streak, with four of those losses coming in the UFC’s octagon. Mariscal would be happy to get a ranked opponent next, but he’s not really sweating it. He’s open to whoever comes next.

“There’s no specific opponent,” Mariscal said about his next step. “I just want to fight everyone. I’m not scared of anyone in the featherweight division, the lightweight division. I’m just ready to come out here and own whoever is in my way. It’s part of the journey. I’m 4-0 in the UFC, and I just want to keep that up.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.