Chepe Mariscal and Pat Sabatini are running it back.
Seven-and-a-half years after their first fight, Mariscal (18-6 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Sabatini (20-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will throw down again. This time, the lights will be much bigger and much brighter, as the featherweights will collide Nov. 22 in a three-round bout at UFC 322. The event takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Mariscal and Sabatini first squared off in April 2018 under the Victory FC banner. Mariscal defeated Sabatini by split decision in a back-and-forth bout.
Mariscal, 32, has won eight fights in a row. What once was a 10-6 record has now become 18-6. While Mariscal took the long, difficult road to the UFC, the experience gained on the regional scene seems to have paid off. He’s won his first five UFC fights including victories over Trevor Peek, Jack Jenkins, Morgan Charriere, Damon Jackson and Ricardo Ramos.
Sabatini, 34, has won back-to-back fights over Jonathan Pearce and Joanderson Brito. A former CFFC champion, Sabatini brings grappling prowess to the matchup as 13 of his 20 pro victories have come by submission.
With the addition, the UFC 322 lineup includes:
- Champ Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev – for welterweight title
- Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang – for women’s flyweight title
- Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
- Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
- Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
- Eric McConico vs. Baisangur Susurkaev
- Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
- Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
- Cody Haddon vs. Malcolm Wellmaker
- Chepe Mariscal vs. Pat Sabatini
