Athletes
Morgan Charriere Wants To Be Known
UFC Featherweight Morgan Charriere Sees Himself Making Waves With A Standout Showing In His Sophomore UFC Appearance This Weekend
For years, it felt like Morgan Charriere was on the cusp of making it to the UFC. So, when he finally got his chance, he would have been happy to fight anyone and anywhere. But that’s not how the cards fell for “The Last Pirate.”
The 28-year-old French-born featherweight was given the opportunity of a lifetime, a spot on UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Spivac in Paris, France, last September. From the walkout to the fight, Charreire looked like a ten-year pro, and he earned a first-round TKO victory over Manolo Zacchini It was picture perfect and everything that Charreire could have ever imagined for his UFC debut.
And he hopes he made quite the first impression for fight fans that had never seen him compete before.
“I could never dream a better debut than that. At my home,” Charriere told UFC.com on media day at UFC APEX. “It was like six or seven years since I didn’t fight there. When I was fighting there, there was no MMA. MMA was not legal, so most of my career has been done outside of France. All the crowd and all the people know me because of social media and what I’ve done outside the country, but they have never really seen me fight. It was the first time for most of them to discover me live.”
“I think they think, ‘Who’s this crazy guy who has red hair, comes in with big tattoos, with all the crowd cheering,’ and they’re like, ‘Who is it?!’ And then I have a maximum fight and throw hard body kicks and I look like I own the moment. It was the first time you’ve seen me you were like, ‘Whoa, this kid is a superstar, where did he come from? He’s been in UFC for a long time. Oh no, it’s his first fight.’ That’s what I think people thought if that’s the first time they saw me.”
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Charriere believes with such a great showing that night in Paris, he set an expectation for how fight fans and UFC brass expect him to perform. That’s not Charriere putting any extra pressure on himself to meet the hype; he wants to set the bar high and continue to push the limits of what he can do.
It was a tough road for Charriere to make it to the UFC, one that took him 28 professional fights before he was signed to the roster. The highs and lows have made him grateful to be on the biggest stage fighting the best opponents in the world.
He’ll have his sophomore test this weekend against Chepe Mariscal, another fighter with an extensive career outside the UFC. It’s exactly the type of fight that Charriere is confident that he can shine brightest in.
“Chepe is really a dog. He will bring the fight and he’s dangerous,” Charriere said. “His two previous fights he was the underdog, and he got the wins. So, you cannot count him out and I really respect him. I know he’s tough and he’s here to win.”
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“It will be a tough fight. He’s tough, durable, and hard to finish. I don’t know if I will be able to get a finish, but I hope so. My style tends to try to look for the finish, but I’m ready to do three five-minute rounds with him and get hurt and have big adversity. I’m ready for what he brings, and whatever he brings, I’ll be ready to match it and top it. I hope I get the stoppage; if not, just the win is good.”
Charriere believes the matchmakers put him up against Mariscal because both men are exciting fighters with the ability to dig deep when it counts most. He knows there are plenty of thrilling bouts on UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2, but he’s confident that he and Mariscal will steal the show.
“It’s either one of us gets finished or it will be a big battle,” Charriere said. “There is no other side possible.”
“The best guy will win, and I hope it’s me.”
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Winning this weekend, especially in emphatic fashion, would be the perfect way for Charriere to end his first fight week in the United States. Charriere wants to expand his strong fanbase in Europe to North America and beyond, and he knows an excellent showing this weekend can go a long way in jump starting his desired status as one of the must watch 145-pound fighters on the planet.
“I want to fight for the UFC, and I want to be known. I want to be known outside of Europe,” Charriere began. “I want to be worldwide.”
“I hope that they see that I’m a tough kid, real durable, and if they think that Chepe is really a dog, wait until they see the dog inside me. Nothing has been given to me. If I’m here, it’s only hard work and big performances. If I win, it’s probably a big finish, so just stay tuned. Watch the fight.
“In all the cases it will be an amazing fight. Either way, win, lose, decision, finish, are amazing. I just bring an amazing fight; that’s all I do.”
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Curtis 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 6, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards, and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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