Tag: Steve Garcia

Edson Barboza books UFC fight No. 31 vs. Steve Garcia

Always a banging UFC striker, Edson Barboza has the perfect opponent to give the fans a great show this February.

A cracking featherweight banger has been added to the UFC’s 2025 slate.

At a UFC Fight Night event Feb. 22, seasoned veteran [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] makes his 31st promotional walk as he battles surging Jackson Wink product [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]. A location and venue has yet to be revealed for the card.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup Tuesday informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting first reported the bout.

Barboza (24-12 MMA, 18-12 UFC) aims to bounce back from a unanimous decision defeat to Lerone Murphy. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak that was comprised of victories over Billy Quarantillo and Sodiq Yusuff.

Garcia (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has won five fights in a row – all by TKO/knockout before the midway point of Round 2. That streak includes Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, Melquizael Costa, Seung Woo Choi, and Kyle Nelson.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Feb. 22 includes:

  • Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia

Steve Garcia ready for a break – unless he gets the call for UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden

Steve Garcia is not looking to fight again in 2024, unless offered a specific fight.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] is not looking to get in the cage anytime soon.

After competing twice in 2024, with his most recent bout being at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242, Garcia (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) wants to take off the remaining of the year and come back strong in 2025. However, there is one event in particular that could entice him to fight again this year, which is the UFC’s expected November pay-per-view event in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“Right now, I’m kind of leaning toward a no,” Garcia told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 242 press conference. “The only one I’d probably consider would be MSG.

“I’d love to fight there, but I’m sure they’ll go there again. So if it doesn’t happen this time, I’m sure I can make my way to another card hopefully that’s over there. But right now, I don’t have any plans to do something anytime soon.”

Garcia got an impressive TKO win over veteran Kyle Nelson (16-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) on the main card of Saturday’s UFC event at the Apex. Although it was a quick job, the training camp for the fight was not – which is why he’s looking to take some time off.

“Mentally, I just needed some rest,” Garcia said. “I put myself through the grinder, especially in training camp. I tried to go above and beyond, and I almost try to torture myself in a sense outside. Just going to classes and stuff, it’s never enough. So it’s all the extra stuff, and it definitely catches up to you. You can’t do that for very long.

“I was trying to pick and choose what I was trying to do and there were a couple of times when Greg (Jackson) was kind of like, ‘Oh, you need to relax. You don’t need to go as hard today.’ We were deliberately more fine-tuned, and it was kind of nice change of pace as far as that goes because I normally just go balls to the wall every single class. There’s a couple of moments I talked to Greg, and he was like, ‘You don’t need to grapple these last couple of rounds that hard.’ It’s just pushing through that barrier so you can come out on top and with the victory. I came here to kill. I don’t come out here to pitter-patter. That’s not me – you guys know already. I come here violently.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

UFC Fight Night 242 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Gilbert Burns, Jessica Andrade net $21,000

UFC Fight Night 242 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $157,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 242 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 242 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Yanal Ashmouz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevor Peek[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Chris Padilla[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rong Zhu[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Isaac Dulgarian[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Brendon Marotte[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Andre Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Felipe dos Santos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gabriel Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Yi Zha[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jaqueline Amorim[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Vanessa Demopoulos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dylan Budka[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nathan Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zygimantas Ramaska[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2421 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,482,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $28,219,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

UFC Fight Night 242 video: Steve Garcia pummels Kyle Nelson for fifth straight TKO finish

Could Steve Garcia be the dark horse of the UFC featherweight division?

The [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] trains keeps rolling down the tracks – and it’s picking up speed.

On the UFC Fight Night 242 main card Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Garcia (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) finished [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 4-5-1 UFC) with strikes at the 3:59 mark of Round 1.

Nelson was initially in control of Garcia, who turned the tables after an unsuccessful armbar attempt. Garcia methodically landed bursts of ground-and-pound punches and elbows until the stoppage came.

https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1832574488174592141

The TKO finish was Garcia’s fifth in a row as he continues to surge up the featherweight ranks. Nelson had a three-fight winning streak snapped in defeat.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 242 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC Fight Night 242

Will the judges be needed in the all-action showdown at UFC Fight Night 242 between Steve Garcia and Kyle Nelson?

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 242 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 6-0
UFC main cards, 2024: 76-61-3

Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson UFC Fight Night 242 preview

After experiencing some growing pains in the UFC, Garcia (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has found his stride. Garcia went 1-2 in his first three fights in the UFC, but since then, he has won four straight, including two first-round finishes and two second-round stoppages. In his last outing, in July, Garcia stopped Seung Woo Choi in 96 seconds after a barrage of punches. … Nelson (16-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) is also on a hot streak as of late. His UFC carer began with a rough stretch as well, going 1-4 in his first five appearances. He’s since won three straight, including a first-round stoppage of Bill Algeo in his last fight in March.

Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson UFC Fight Night 242 expert pick, prediction

Serving as another solid but impromptu offering on the main card is a featherweight action fight between Nelson and Garcia.
Nelson was initially scheduled to face Calvin Kattar, but will instead meet Garcia on roughly four weeks’ notice. However, despite technically having more time to prepare, Nelson found himself coming in a couple of pounds over the 146-pound limit for this contest.
I’m not sure how much that will affect Nelson’s performance given that he’s going against a fellow fast-starting featherweight, but I also don’t expect this fight to look very pretty if it gets past the first round.
It’s hard to know how Nelson will fair against southpaws since winning a split decision over Jonathan Brookins on the regionals was his only UFC-level sample in that department, but I suspect that Nelson’s durability, clinch game and counters will serve him well in this spot.
It’s hard not to be a fan of Garcia’s brand of southpaw violence, but I’ll semi-reluctantly side with Nelson to weather the storm and score in knockout in Round 2.

Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson UFC Fight Night 242 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the short-notice fighter, listing Garcia -188 and Nelson +152 via FanDuel.

Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson UFC Fight Night 242 start time, how to watch

As the feature main card bout, Garcia and Nelson are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET (5:05 p.m. PT). The fight will air on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

UFC Fight Night 242: Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 odds between Steve Garcia and Kyle Nelson, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round men’s featherweight bout on the main card, Steve Garcia and Kyle Nelson meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 100 and UFC Vegas 97 — at UFC Apex. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 242: Garcia vs. Nelson odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Records: Garcia (16-5-0) | Nelson (16-5-1)

Garcia is a southpaw who enters this bout with a 4-inch reach advantage. The 32-year-old also has a 5.00-to-3.65 significant strikes landed per minute advantage while hitting those strikes at a 63.64% accuracy. On the flip side, Nelson is just 50.18% on his significant strikes.

In the takedown average, the difference is rather negligible, with Garcia holding a slim 1.27-to-1.10 lead. Both fighters have a 0.63 submission average, too.

Garcia, a.k.a. “Mean Machine,” enters this bout with 4 consecutive victories, all via KO/TKO. That includes a win over SeungWoo Choi last time out in just 96 seconds and a Round 2 KO/TKO of Melquizael Costa prior to that in Dec. 2023.

Garcia’s previous 6 bouts have ended by way of KO/TKO, with 5 wins. The last time he didn’t have an early finish was a unanimous-decision loss to Luis Pena in his UFC debut Feb. 29, 2020.

For Nelson, he has snapped onto track after a rough start to his UFC career. After going 1-4 in his 1st 5 bouts with the company, Nelson has 3 straight wins, including a KO/TKO in Round 1 against veteran Bill Algeo last time out. Prior to that, he had a pair of unanimous-decision victories over Fernando Padilla at Noche UFC and Blake Bilder at UFC 289.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 242: Garcia vs. Nelson odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:32 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Garcia -180 (bet $180 to win $100) | Nelson +152 (bet $100 to win $152)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +136 | Under -174)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +450 | No -750)

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UFC Fight Night 242: Garcia vs. Nelson picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

It’s a little too expensive to back Garcia (-180) straight up on the 2-way moneyline, but despite the 3-bout win streak for Nelson (+152), the latter cannot be trusted.

Instead, let’s roll with GARCIA BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (-145) on the 5-way line. You could play just KO/TKO and DQ on the 7-way line, but it’s literally pennies more and you add the possibility of a tap out.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (+136) is worth a roll of the dice here.

Yes, Garcia has 6 straight bouts decided by KO/TKO, with each of the past 5 fights not making it past the halfway point of Round 2. So, playing Over will take a little bit of a leap of faith.

However, Nelson has gone the distance in 4 straight fights, so he knows how to hang around and avoid the big kill shot.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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Steve Garcia: ‘Stakes are a little higher than usual’ at UFC Fight Night 242 vs. Kyle Nelson

UFC Vegas 97’s Steve Garcia knows a win over Kyle Nelson could catapult him up the featherweight rankings.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] knows a win over [autotag]Kyle Nelson[/autotag] could catapult him up the featherweight rankings.

Garcia (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) will look to make it five-straight wins when he meets Nelson (16-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 main card at the UFC Apex.

Nelson rides some momentum having won three in a row, but someone’s streak will have to come to an end in this matchup.

“Worthy opponent for sure,” Garcia told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Thursday. “He’s on a three-fight win streak I believe and one of our streaks has to end. Stakes are a little higher than usual. He’s good, durable. He looks strong. I’ll see that on Saturday. He’s definitely a game an opponent, I’m excited to share the cage with him.”

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Garcia steps in on relatively short notice to replace Calvin Kattar. He would have preferred a full camp, and would only entertain another quick turnaround for UFC 309, which takes place Nov. 16 in New York.

“My coaches said they don’t want to see me back in the gym for another month after this fight,” Garcia said. “But, I think the only one I would ever consider probably this month is if it’s at Madison Square Garden. I’ve always wanted to fight there, it’s a pretty iconic place. I’d consider a fight there, but I’ll probably wait until next year.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.

Knockout artist Steve Garcia proposes UFC bonus structure change based on finishes

UFC featherweight Steve Garcia has an idea for switching up the bonus structure that would pay out every finish on any given card.

UFC featherweight [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] has an idea for changing the promotion’s bonus structure so that more fighters could benefit financially from their performances.

Garcia (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) is coming off a 96-second knockout over Seung Woo Choi at UFC on ESPN 60. It was his fourth consecutive knockout finish, setting the longest current streak in the UFC. More importantly for Garcia, he earned a $50K Performance of the Night bonus, which he described as a “financial blessing.”

The UFC typically hands out four $50K bonuses, with a general structure of one Fight of the Night award and two Performance of the Night awards. Depending on how the event unfolds, that could change to all POTN bonuses with no FOTN.

For certain pay-per-view events, the UFC has raised the bounty at fighters’ request at press conferences. Most recently, at UFC 304, UFC CEO Dana White agreed to raise the bonuses to $100K. However, after the event’s completion, White vowed never to raise bonuses at a press conference again.

Garcia has an idea to change things up. In a finish-based structure, Garcia’s idea could potentially pay out extra cash to every winner on the card.

“If you really want to incentivize finishes, you don’t have to make it $50,000,” Garcia told MMA Junkie Radio. “You can make it $25,000, and if it was the best one of the night, then sure, make it $50,000.

“I think that everybody that gets a finish like that on the card should extra money because they’re trying their hardest. I mean, I know I am. I don’t know if anybody else is just like out there just nonchalant trying to finish people, but I’m literally trying to kill the person standing across from me, so I like that idea.”

Garcia earned his second bonus in seven fights with the promotion for knocking out Choi. His was for a first-round knockout of Chase Hooper in October 2022.

For Garcia, the idea of changing the bonus structure is simply one to give fighters a little more cash. Like many others on the roster, Garcia works an additional job outside of fighting, which takes away from solely focusing on competing in the premier MMA promotion on the planet.

“For me, it’s really hard to talk about it because the fighter pay is almost like a touchy subject,” Garcia said. “If I can grab more, I’m going to grab more, right? But in my head, I like to meet in the middle, you know what I mean? So, if I can guarantee me some more cash, I’m going to.

“… I truly believe even when you first start in the UFC, you should honestly be able to do it full time without having to worry about working. Even when I was in the UFC, I worked – I still work. … Financially, this is mainly what I do. This is where all my eggs are, mainly. It’s tough. It’s really tough.”

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Steve Garcia calls out Dan Ige after setting knockout record at UFC on ESPN 60

UFC featheweight Steve Garcia has been on a record-setting roll, and wants to test himself against a ranked opponent like Dan Ige.

LAS VEGAS – UFC featherweight [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] made it four wins in a row by defeating Seung Woo Choi, and has his eyes set on a showdown with Dan Ige.

Not only has Garcia (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) won four straight, but he has also knocked out each of his opponents, setting a record for the longest TKO/KO streak in the UFC.

Choi (11-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) was the latest victim in the first round of the UFC on ESPN 60 co-feature. Garcia’s run includes stoppages of Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Melquizael Costa.

Now, “Mean Machine” wants a piece of Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC), who recently stepped up on just a few hours’ notice for a same-day fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 303.

“I called him out because he was actually supposed to headline this card, I believe,” Garcia said during a post-fight news conference. “When his fight fell through, I raised my hand. I was like, ‘Hey man, I’ll take it.’ I responded to his message. I don’t know if he took that, laughed it off, shrugged it off – I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like a disrespectful dude, but I obviously didn’t have that opportunity. It didn’t even matter because he stepped up to fight Diego Lopes, which shows what kind of gangster he is, like 100 percent.

“But I think that would be a fun fight. I think the fans would love that fight. He brings it, I bring it. That’s fireworks in the making. I’m just helping the matchmaker out.”

Ideally, Garcia would like to have that matchup at Noche UFC, which takes place at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. Ige was promised a spot on that card after stepping up to fight Lopes, so if all things align in the matchmakers’ eyes, Garcia could end up with his wish.

You can watch Garcia’s complete UFC on ESPN 60 post-fight session with reporters in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

UFC on ESPN 60 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $27 million

The UFC has issued more than $27 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to fighters after UFC on ESPN 60.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $139,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 60 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 60 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,600; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-60 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,268,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,005,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.