Athletes
Under the Radar | Steve Garcia
New Mexico’s Steve Garcia Heads Into UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady On A Four-Fight Knockout Streak And Should Have The Attention Of Every Fight Fan
It’s not every day a fighter steps into the Octagon and, on four consecutive occasions, collects a knockout win while remaining out of the spotlight, yet that is seemingly the position Steve Garcia is in heading into his matchup with Kyle Nelson at UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady. By all accounts, the 32-year-old has the makings of a fighter who should catch eyes and turn heads when you look at his body of work thus far.
“Mean Machine” is well-seasoned, with 21 professional fights to his name, tallying a 16-5 record to this point, including a 5-2 record in the Octagon. Moreover, 13 of his 16 professional wins came via knockout. He also has a highly reputable team behind him in Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico under the tutelage of Greg Jackson, and his standup, all-gas-no-brakes style should appeal to the wider fan base. In fact, he averages 2.38 knockdowns per 15 minutes, which ranks sixth all-time in UFC history.
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All that said, his stymied hype does have logic behind it. Despite a first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, Garcia wasn’t awarded a contract because he missed the bantamweight limit by three pounds.
He eventually got his opportunity when he stepped up to fight Luis Peña in a lightweight contest in February 2020, losing that fight via decision. He fought just twice more over the next 28 months, splitting bouts with Charlie Ontiveros (a knockout win) and Maheshate (a knockout loss).
Steve Garcia Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady
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Steve Garcia Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady
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So, it makes sense that he was the proverbial B-side of his return to featherweight opposite Chase Hooper in October 2022. At that point, he was just a 30-year-old with a 1-2 Octagon record, but the fight ended up as a sort of turning point for the Albuquerque-native.
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Garcia came out of the gates on fire, dropping Hooper with a laser of a left hand just 30 seconds into the bout. After letting Hooper back up to his feet, he sent him clattering back to the ground with another left hand just 15 seconds later. Garcia maintained the intensity of his attack while also mixing up his target to the body and leg.
Hooper showed his toughness, but it only put him in more danger as Garcia connected with another left hand that dropped Hooper for a third time and earned the stoppage from the referee. The result seemed cathartic for Garcia, who also took home his first career performance bonus.
Next came a duel with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, a beast of a man riding into UFC 287 on a three-fight winning streak. He put it on Garcia early, dropping him with a monster right hand inside the first minute. Garcia was stuck on his back for most of the rest of the round, but he did well to minimize damage and land some hammerfists off his back, as well.
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Once he returned to his feet, Garcia went to work in the waning moments of the first frame, cracking Nuerdanbieke with a few left hands to swing the momentum his way heading into the break. The second stanza was all Garcia. He landed a beautiful combination 20 seconds into the round to put Nuerdanbieke on his heels before planting a picture-perfect left hand to the body that crumpled him, earning the stoppage 36 seconds into round two.
Garcia returned to the UFC APEX opposite Melquizael Costa in December 2023 and turned in another gritty stunner. After Costa tested Garcia’s defensive grappling for the bulk of the first round, Garcia came out in round two with some urgency.
Steve Garcia Turns It Around For TKO Win In Round 2 | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Gutierrez
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Steve Garcia Turns It Around For TKO Win In Round 2 | UFC Fight Night: Song vs Gutierrez
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Following another stuffed takedown attempt, Garcia planted a knee and a couple punches on Costa that left the Brazilian scrambling. He pounced on his injured foe, landing brutal ground-and-pound to open Costa up before fishing for his own submission. When that didn’t work, Garcia went back to work with the ground-and-pound to earn the brutal stoppage.
The southpaw’s first appearance of 2024 was more of the same as he faced SeungWoo Choi two months ago. After a small feeling-out process, Garcia went into the phone booth and connected with several left hands that sent Choi crashing to the canvas just 96 seconds into the fight. The fourth knockout in a row also earned Garcia his second performance bonus.
It's with all this momentum that Garcia enters his short-notice matchup with Kyle Nelson. Replacing Calvin Kattar, Garcia hopes to put himself on the precipice of the Top 15 with a win over the Canadian veteran, who is on his own three-fight winning streak. Whether he wins or loses on September 7, Garcia is undoubtedly carving out a space for himself in the featherweight division as a powerful, pressuring fighter who every fight fan should have their eye on when he makes the walk.
UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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