28-year-old featherweight Morgan Charriere predicts that his UFC Vegas 90 main card clash will earn him a $50K Fight of the Night bonus, and at least a few stitches.
UFC Vegas 90 goes down this weekend and whilst most of the headlines are expected to be dominated by the main event rematch between Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis, there’s one key fight flying under the radar that should deliver either “a war or a big finish.”
Morgan Charriere is looking to make another statement after UFC Paris debut
28-year-old Frenchman Morgan ‘The Last Pirate’ Charriere had arguably one of the best UFC debuts of 2023 when he knocked out Manolo Zecchini inside the very first round via a series of painful body kicks, earning both an extra $50,000 and a standing ovation from the Paris faithful.
With a professional record of 19 wins, 9 losses, and one draw, the Cage Warriors alumni returns to the UFC octagon this weekend and is set to face Elevation Fight Team’s Chepe ‘Machine Gun’ Mariscal.
With a record of 15-6, Mariscal will undoubtedly be Charriere’s toughest opponent to date, yet the flashy French prospect isn’t going to shy away from the chance of another viral KO and POTN bonus.
‘The Last Pirate’ expects fireworks this weekend at UFC Vegas 90
Speaking during media day for UFC Vegas 90, Morgan Charriere shared that he is expecting Mariscal to meet fire-with-fire when the cage doors lock behind them.
“Chepe is really a dog, he brings the fight and is dangerous…you cannot count him out, I really respect him, I know he’s tough and he’s here to win, it will be a tough fight, he’s tough, durable and hard to finish.”
Yet ‘The Last Pirate’ is ready for an all-out battle and predicts that his second UFC outing will result in his second consecutive post-fight bonus:
“It’s a potential Fight of the Night contender, it’ll be fireworks, it’s [either going to be] a war or a big finish.”
Despite being “ready to do three five-minute rounds and face adversity,” Charriere also noted that his style is built for picture-perfect knockouts and that “Whatever he brings, I’ll be able to match and top it.”
Charriere on why he’s got the attention of the UFC fanbase
Whilst it’s not necessarily surprising that Charriere got such a pop in front of his home crowd at UFC Paris, fans around the world are now starting to board ‘The Last Pirate’ ship in a big way.
Interestingly, Charriere puts this down to the combination of his already-large social media following, and the fact that many fans outside of France were unaware that this was only his first appearance in the UFC octagon:
“I could have never dreamt a better debut…All the crowd, all the people they knew me from social media and all I’ve done outside the country…[But] It was the first time for a lot of them that they could watch me live.”
“I think they thought ‘Who is this crazy guy with the red hair – who is this?!’” shared Charriere, who celebrated a performance that made it “look like I own the moment,” despite the pressure he felt.
“If it was the first time you’ve seen me, you’d be like ‘Woah this kid is a superstar, where’d he come from, has he been in the UFC for a long time, oh no that’s his first fight!’ – I think that’s why people are talking about me like this.”
Morgan Charriere vs Chepe Mariscal takes place on the main card of UFC Vegas 90.