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Steve Garcia Jr.
Record: 10-3
Age: 27
Weight class: Featherweight
Height: 6’0″
Birthplace: Albuquerque, N.M.
Next Fight: Jan. 17 vs. Jose Mariscal (10-4) at LFA 80 in Albuquerque, N.M. (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: [autotag]Steve Garcia Jr.[/autotag] turned professional at age 20. Just a few fights into his MMA career, Garcia was inked to Bellator, where he went 5-2 for the promotion. Back-to-back victories at JacksonWink Fight Night led him to the UFC’s doorstep in mid-2019. Garcia’s appearance on this past season of Dana White’s Contender Series was nearly perfect. He picked up a dominant first-round TKO victory over opponent Desmond Torres. However, one blip deterred UFC president Dana White from giving him a UFC deal. Garcia missed weight.
The Skinny: Garcia has the experience of a veteran packed into the record of a fresh prospect. His only losses have come to Joe Warren, Ricky Turcios, and Aalon Cruz. Garcia’s dynamic, yet awkward style works in his favor. Even at featherweight, he’ll likely still be the longer fighter in each matchup. Having offered him a short-notice fight at featherweight against Billy Quarantillo at UFC on ESPN 7, the UFC is still interested. A main training partner for John Dodson, Aaron Pico, Patchy Mix and Holly Holm, Garcia is getting the reps in the gym.
In his own words: “I’ve always wanted to be different. I’ve always wanted to stand out differently. I’ve always stood out because I’m a big guy in a smaller weight class as far as my height, my size, and my length. But for me, I’ve always been one for an action-packed fight. The only way it was an action-packed fight was due to my own (doing). … I have really good footwork. I used to train with everybody. We didn’t have weight classes. I was a little guy sparring with 265-pounders.
“I think this next fight will propel me to the UFC. I actually think I’m already there. … I loved the Billy Quarantillo matchup. If I get that matchup, there’s a UFC Rio Rancho card coming here. I would have loved that matchup here. … We can stay relevant with this LFA fight, (though). That’s what we’re doing.”
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Fight footage courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s official digital subscription service, which is currently offering a seven-day free trial. UFC Fight Pass gives fans access to exclusive live UFC events and fights, exclusive live MMA and combat sports events from around the world, exclusive original and behind the scenes content and unprecedented 24-7 access to the world’s biggest fight library.