Tag: Steve Garcia

UFC on ESPN 60 video: Steve Garcia drops, then pummels Seungwoo Choi for 96-second TKO

Steve Garcia now holds the current longest TKO/knockout streak in the UFC.

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] made the most of his unexpected UFC on ESPN 60 co-main event opportunity.

Originally scheduled for the main card, Garcia (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag] (11-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC) slid into the co-headliner when Brad Tavares vs. Jun Yong Park was canceled after Friday’s weigh-ins. A little over 24 hours later, Garcia capitalized on the opportunity when he finished Choi with strikes at 1:36 of Round 1. The featherweight bout took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

A right hand initially appeared to hurt Choi, but three follow-up left hands were what put him down. Choi covered up and Garcia swarmed. With Choi unable to intelligently defend himself, referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight.

With the win, Garcia now is atop the leaderboard of longest TKO/knockout streak in the UFC with four. Conversely, Choi falls to 1-4 in his most recent five.

The up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 60 results include:

  • Steve Garcia def. Seungwoo Choi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:36
  • Kurt Holobaugh def. Kaynan Kruschewsky via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bruno Silva def. Cody Durden via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:58
  • Dooho Choi def. Bill Algeo via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:38
  • Hyder Amil def. Jeong Yeong Lee via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:05
  • Cody Gibson def. Brian Kelleher via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:58
  • Miranda Maverick def. Dione Barbosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Trey Ogden def. Loik Radzhabov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Luana Carolina def. Lucie Pudilova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Thomas Petersen def. Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=420030788]

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

Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC on ESPN 60

Will the judges be needed in the new UFC on ESPN 60 co-main event between Seungwoo Choi and Steve Garcia?

[autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 60 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 4-1-1
UFC main cards, 2024: 58-52-3

Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia UFC on ESPN 60 preview

Choi (11-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) looks to keep the momentum going following a unanimous decision win over Jarno Errens last August. The result snapped a three-fight skid, which was the worst stretch of his UFC career. Prior to that, Choi won three straight. … Garcia (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will compete for the first time in 2024, and is running hot as a winner of three straight fights, each by stoppage. On his run, Garcia has stopped Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Melquizael Costa.

Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia UFC on ESPN 60 expert pick, prediction

With Junyong Park falling out of his fight with Brad Tavares at the 11th hour, the impromptu co-main event in Las Vegas will now feature a featherweight bout between Choi and Garcia.

Both fighters are absolute wildmen at heart, but I believe that Garcia being a southpaw puts an interesting fold in this fight.

Aside from the fact that Choi is officially 0-2 against UFC-level southpaws, the Korean’s shot selection seems to be extra limited in open-stance affairs.

Add in the fact that Garcia seems to be coming into his own, and I can’t help but slightly lean toward the “Mean Machine” in this spot.

It should be a wild fight for as long as it lasts, but I’ll officially pick Garcia to force a standing stoppage by strikes late into Round 1.

Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia UFC on ESPN 60 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the American fighter, listing Garcia -152 and Choi +124 via FanDuel.

Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia UFC on ESPN 60 start time, how to watch

As the co-main event, Choi and Garcia are expected to make their walks to the cage at approximately 10:05 p.m. ET (7:05 p.m. local time in Las Vegas). The fight airs on ESPN and streams live on ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=2756596,2755937,2755782]

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

UFC on ESPN 60: Steve Garcia vs. SeungWoo Choi odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 odds between Steve Garcia vs. SeungWoo Choi, with MMA picks and predictions.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

In a 3-round featherweight bout on the main card, Steve Garcia and SeungWoo Choi meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 60 — also known as UFC Vegas 94 — at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 60: Garcia vs. Choi odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin 5:30 p.m. ET, also on ESPN2/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 8 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Garcia (15-5-0) | Choi (11-6-0)

Garcia, a.k.a. “Mean Machine,” heads into this bout with 3 consecutive KO/TKO victories since a loss June 2022 against Maheshate at UFC 275. He definitely hasn’t gone the longest yard lately, last going the distance in a unanimous-decision loss against Luis Pena in his company debut Feb. 29, 2020.

Garcia has back-to-back Round 2 wins over Melquizael Costa and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, with a Round 1 knockout of Chase Hooper before that. The southpaw is a punching machine, recording 4.85 significant strikes landed per minute, while accurately landing those fights at a 64.23% rate.

Choi snapped a 3-bout loss with a unanimous-decision victory over Jarno Errens last time out 11 months ago. Before that, Choi lost via KO/TKO to Michael Trizano, via split-decision to Josh Culibao at UFC 275, and via submission to Alex Caceres. The fact he has lost in a multitude of ways is not good news facing a hard-hitting opponent in Garcia.

Choi has managed 3.48 significant strikes per minute, while landing just 50.53% of those strikes. He also has a slight disadvantage in takedown average at 0.87, to a 1.31 mark for Garcia.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ESPN 60: Garcia vs. Choi odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Garcia -154 (bet $154 to win $100) | Choi +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
  • Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over +144 | Under -186)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +360 | No -600)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

UFC on ESPN 60: Garcia vs. Choi picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

GARCIA (-154) is a solid play at a moderate favorite, as he can win a number of ways, especially via knockout.

On the flip side, Choi (+130) has struggled with consistency and defense lately. He just doesn’t match up well with Garcia, who has been a knockout king in recent matches. While Choi likely doesn’t want to go toe-to-toe in a brawl, going to the mat isn’t his specialty, either. In fact, he is 0-2 via submission in his pro career.

Over/Under (O/U)

No (-600): Will the fight go the distance? will cost you 6 times your potential return, which is way too expensive. Instead, let’s get a little more specific.

Garcia hasn’t needed the help of the judges since his UFC debut in Feb. 2020. In fact, he hasn’t been past the midway point of Round 2 in each of the previous 5 outings.

However, instead of playing No on the distance, instead, take a look at Method of Victory, and back GARCIA BY KO/TKO (+130) at plus-money, which is a shockingly good value.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

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.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

Steve Garcia crosses fingers for Nate Landwehr as next UFC challenge: ‘The kid is a stud’

It wasn’t really a callout, rather more of respectful suggestion – but Steve Garcia knows who he wants to fight next.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]’s win Saturday was a gory comeback that ended violently with opponent Melquizael Costa attempting a takedown on referee Chris Tognoni.

With a highlight comes attention. Garcia (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) thinks his victory at UFC Fight Night 233 showed the masses who he truly is. He hopes his name will be circled on their mental bout sheets from here on out, if it wasn’t already.

“I want to be the guy they tune into when I’m on that stage,” Garcia told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “Like, ‘It’s going to be a banger when Steve is on that card. Let’s tune in.’ I hope you guys enjoyed it.”

“… That’s just the style that I bring every time I come in here. Every time I’m in here, you might just see a dog. I tell people all the time. I don’t have the biggest bark or the loudest bark, but I have bite. I bite pretty damn hard. I’m just not going to quit. I’m going to keep coming for you. I’ll just keep gnawing at that fight however I can. I just need to figure out a way to win. I think I’ve had a couple fights to show that. We’re just going to keep doing it.”

After the fight, Garcia didn’t grab the microphone and cut a WWE-esque promo. Instead, he respectfully suggested a name he’d like to fight next when asked by interviewer Paul Felder.

“Out there, I kind of just threw out a name – a name I think people would like and I think he’s really good. his name is Nate Landwehr,” Garcia said. “The kid is a stud. I think the fans would love to see something like that. We’ll see if (my manager) Jason House and Sean Shelby and all those guys will want to put that together. If not, they got my phone number. We can figure it out. … March-April sounds good to me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 post-event facts: Khalil Rountree inches closer to Chuck Liddell’s KO record

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 233, which saw Khalil Rountree move closer to Chuck Liddell’s longstanding knockout record.

There’s just one event left on the UFC’s 2023 schedule after UFC Fight Night 233 came to a conclusion on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

An underwhelming lineup fell in the shadow of UFC 296 this weekend, and the main event wasn’t particularly memorable as [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag] (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) proved to be too much for [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (20-6-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup en route to a unanimous decision win.

For more on the numbers to come out of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts about UFC Fight Night 233.

* * * *

UFC Fight Night 233 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $22 million

UFC Fight Night 233 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 233 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500

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 233 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 233 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Su Mudaerji[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kevin Jousset[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]HyunSung Park[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Shannon Ross[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Carlos Hernandez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rayanne Amanda[/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 2331 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,848,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,367,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC Fight Night 233 in Las Vegas with Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.

In the main event, Song Yadong (21-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) took on Chris Gutierrez (20-5-2 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in a bantamweight clash. In the light heavyweight co-feature, former title challenger Anthony Smith (37-19 MMA, 12-9 UFC) met Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

You also can get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporter Ken Hathaway (@1khathaway) on X.

Check out the full event play-by-play, results, and more below.

UFC Fight Night 233 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 233 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 233 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 233 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

UFC Fight Night 233 video: Referee fends off discombobulated Melquizael Costa after Steve Garcia’s bloody TKO

Protect yourself at all times – even if you’re the referee, as Chris Tognoni was forced to do at UFC Fight Night 233.

Protect yourself at all times – even if you’re the referee.

Such was the situation Saturday at UFC Fight Night 233 after [autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag] brutally finished [autotag]Melquizael Costa[/autotag] with a bombardment of strikes in their featherweight bout at the UFC Apex.

In the opening moments of the second round, Garcia (21-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Costa (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) engaged in a scramble, at which point Garcia dropped Costa with a knee and right hand. From there, Garcia moved all in for the finish with an array of punches, hammerfists and elbows, which bloodied up Costa.

When Costa could no longer defend himself, referee Chris Tognoni stopped the fight. And that’s when we saw just how discombobulated Costa was from the fight-ending sequence as he tried to take down the ref with a single-leg. To Tognoni’s credit, he hit the switch on Costa to fend him off until the Brazilian fighter came to.

You can watch the finish and immediate aftermath in the video below (via X):

With the finish, Garcia, a Jackson-Wink MMA product, now has won three fights in a row, including two this year. Costa has alternated one win and two losses in his three UFC appearances.

[lawrence-related id=2702294,2702301]

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 233 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 233.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 27-Dec 3.)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 27-Dec. 3.