UFC Jacksonville: Emmett vs. Topuria is underway and the preliminary fights thus far have been electric! The underdogs are leading the night so far and a pair of fighters made noise in their UFC debuts. Chepe Mariscal and Joshu Van both made their UFC debuts against tough fighters and will likely be seeing a performance bonus by the end of the night. Follow our UFC news for more fight announcements and breaking content!
OH MY GOD WHAT A FIGHT
— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) June 24, 2023
Chepe Mariscal faced undefeated prospect Trevor Peek as he made his UFC debut. Many believed that Mariscal was the most UFC-ready fighter making their debut on today's card and he surely did not disappoint with his performance. The fight was an absolute slugfest for three rounds that saw both Peek and Mariscal land massive shots. Mariscal landed cleaner throughout the fight and was dominating by the third round. The two gave Jacksonville a great show, but it was Mariscal who came out as the more technical fighter.
The fight sent Twitter into a frenzy as many fighters and fans at home chimed in on the performance from both guys.
Fighters react to the brawl between Trevor Peek and Chepe Mariscal at #UFCJacksonville 😳
📰 https://t.co/myBABzS02w pic.twitter.com/tURixKYbMV
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 24, 2023
Joshua Van also made his debut and faced Zhalgas Zhumagulov as an underdog. Zhumagulov was slated to fight twice beforehand, but a number of cancellations resulted in Van stepping in for this fight. While he's been training for Dana White's Contender Series, he may not have to wait until then to get his contract. Van stayed patient throughout the fight and turned in an absolute striking masterclass over the 6-fight veteran Zhumagulov.
While it turned out to be a hairy split decision, Joshua Van got the win in his favor and made history in the process. He landed the second-most significant strikes in Flyweight history. He landed 131 strikes, 120 of which were considered significant. Van will see a huge boost in his resume while he simultaneously dismisses Zhumagulov from the UFC.
Impressive performance by Joshua Van in his UFC debut!
Found his range & rhythm in Round 2, great boxing, good gas tank, landed the 2nd most significant strikes in Flyweight HISTORY!
— FinesseTheBooks (@FinesseTheBooks) June 24, 2023
Joshua Van and Chepe Mariscal seem to be great additions to the UFC and earned a ton of fans with their debut performances. Don't forget to check out our UFC odds series for the rest of our UFC Jacksonville betting picks!