UFC Vegas 95: Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal: Live round-by-round updates
UFC Vegas 95's Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal live round-by-round updates come with an offer of real-time coverage and live scoring of the bout, which is the third matchup on the card to be at a catchweight. Both Jackson and Mariscal are featherweights, but Mariscal weigh-in struggles led to a change in dynamics.
Mariscal stepped on the scale at 149.5 pounds, which is three and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. With their matchup now a catchweight, there will likely be tension between both men when they finally cross swords inside the octagon.
The two men are fighting for different purposes. Jackson, who is coming off a split-decision win over the mouthy Alexander Hernandez, with whom he had some issues, is looking to author his first win streak since suffering back-to-back losses to Billy Quarantillo and the granite-chinned Dan Ige.
He puts his 23-6-1 (1) record on the line against a surging Mariscal, who is on a six-fight win streak, with a 15-6-0 record. Naturally, the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook list Mariscal as a -205 favorite, while Jackson, a veteran of 12 years, is a +170 underdog.
Follow Sportskeeda for play-by-play analysis and live scoring of the catchweight matchup.
UFC Vegas 95: Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal
Round 1: Jackson opens the bout with a body kick, and Mariscal answers with a takedown attempt. It's stuffed, and Jackson batters his midsection with knees, before Mariscal executes a beautiful throw to get Jackson on the mat. However, his opponent scrambles to the feet.
They clinch and wrestle for position against the fence, turning each other around at various points, occasionally landing knees. Mariscal breaks and lands a pair of left hooks, before clinching again once Jackson returned fire. Mariscal's face is busted open.
They break and Jackson gets a takedown, blasting him with ground-and-pound, but Mariscal stands and scores his own takedown, only for Jackson to stand right away. They're back wrestling against the fence, where Mariscal unloads with some right hands before they clinch again. Both men are bloodied.
They're brawling, with Mariscal throwing heat and Jackson blasting him with knees. Another takedown attempt for Mariscal, but Jackson defends and attempts his own, only to end up on the bottom to end the round. 10-9 Mariscal.
Round 2: They start the round trading and quickly fall into the clinch, where Mariscal pursues a takedown, which Jackson stuffs, ending up on the fence. An accidental knee to the groin from Jackson leads to a brief time out, and the fight resumes in the prior position against the fence.
Once again, they reverse each other, while Jackson lands knees to the body. Mariscal doesn't seem to want any part of a striking bout with Jackson. Neither man is doing much to pull away with the round, as they're just reversing each other along the fence. Finally, Mariscal breaks the deadlock with a takedown.
He gets Jackson's back, and though his foe tries to scramble out of position, Mariscal pins one of his hands to the mat and starts battering him with hammer-fists. Jackson tries to force a transition, but Mariscal ends up on top, resuming ground-and-pound with a storm of hammer-fists.
Jackson needs to defend himself better. Mariscal starts landing elbows, and ends the round on Jackson's back. 10-9 Mariscal.
Round 3: A round kick to the body lands for Mariscal, and Jackson fires back with a one-two. Jackson clinches and Mariscal lands a brief takedown. They're back on the fence, fighting for position. Jackson lands a nice elbow in the clinch, and they engage in a dirty boxing sequence, with Mariscal landing a knee.
Mariscal takes advantage of the exchange to dive under for a takedown, dunking Jackson on the mat. But Jackson reverses to end up on top, but it hardly lasts, as Mariscal reverses him to end up on top, only for Jackson to scramble to his feet. Now Jackson takes Mariscal down with a slick double-leg.
Mariscal lands elbows from the bottom and tries to roll for an omoplata, but it's such a low-percentage move. They scramble, and Mariscal ends up on top, taking Jackson's back. This is easily the Fight of the Night so far. The main event will have a lot ot live up to.
Mariscal is punishing Jackson's attempted stand-ups with mat returns and ground-and-pound, but Jackson finally gets to his feet. Mariscal lands a knee that seems to have hurt Jackson, either dropping him or forcing him to pursue a desperate takedown.
Mariscal ends up on his back, flattening him out to land ground-and-pound. 10-9 Mariscal.
Official Decision: Chepe Mariscal def. Damon Jackson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)