Chepe Mariscal Makes a Statement with Win over an Undefeated Prospect at LFA 57
Jose “Chepe” Mariscal had a big night as the main event on LFA 57 against undefeated Youssef “the Morrocan Devil” Zalal, who was undoubtedly favored to win judging by the amount of hype generated by the promotion. Zalal is chasing the dream of reaching the big show. But he is not the only one.
Mariscal’s nickname “Machine Gun” was not given carelessly. Known for his relentless pressure, Chepe Mariscal refused to give Zalal space to work, firing continual shots. As a Judo black belt and high-level wrestler, Mariscal likes to be close though some of those takedowns did land in him in a few dangerous positions. Zalal is comfortable working his creative ground game from the bottom. With grit on his side, Mariscal was able to defend and maintain dominant position through the majority of the fight.
Training out of Elevation Fight Team in Denver, Colorado has given Chepe Mariscal the opportunity with high-level coaches and teammates as which includes a number of UFC fighters.
“Chepe is an extremely talented and hard working fighter. He has all the skills to compete at the highest level. In the training room, he pushes all of his teammates to elevate their game, and he brings up the intensity of the entire room,” said Elevation Fight Team Coach Peter Straub.
“This fight, however, didn’t showcase most of what he can do. He faced some personal hardships in this camp that would have made most people pull out and reschedule. Coupled with him having the stomach flu all week, resulting in a difficult weight cut, the cards were stacked against him. He was also a betting underdog against a very talented 6-0 opponent who has been on a demolition streak. Against all these adversities and more, Chepe stared this fight in the face, dug deep, and fought with his whole heart. This was a career-defining fight for him. Not because of the victory, but because of what it took for him to accomplish this win. Chepe showed us who he really is last night. A martial artist through and through. As a team and coaching staff, we couldn’t be prouder of him. He has a very bright future.”
