Estevan Garcia Jr. (born May 22, 1992), known as Steve Garcia, is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has previously competed in Bellator's bantamweight division.
Steve Garcia | |
---|---|
Born | Estevan Garcia Jr.[1] May 22, 1992 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
Other names | Mean Machine |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
Division | Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight |
Reach | 73 in (190 cm) |
Fighting out of | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, U.S. |
Team | Jackson's MMA |
Years active | 2013–present |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 22 |
Wins | 17 |
By knockout | 14 |
By decision | 3 |
Losses | 5 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 1 |
By decision | 3 |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog |
Background
editInspired by his friends, Garcia initially started training mixed martial arts at Greg Jackson's satellite gym at the age of 15. He then went on to train jiu-jitsu and kickboxing at Luttrell's MMA before moving to Jackson-Wink MMA.[2]
Mixed martial arts career
editBellator MMA
editGarcia was expected to make his Bellator debut against Shawn Bunch at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013. However, Garcia pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Russell Wilson.[3]
The bout with Shawn Bunch was rescheduled for Bellator 105 on October 25, 2013. Garcia defeated Bunch via TKO in the third round.[4]
After signing a new deal with the promotion,[5] Garcia faced Cody Walker at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014. He won the fight via KO just 39 seconds into the first round.[6]
Garcia faced Kin Moy at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014. Garcia won the fight via split decision.[7]
Garcia faced Eduardo Bustillos at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[8]
Garcia faced Ricky Turcios at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016. He lost the fight via split decision; the first loss of his professional MMA career.[9]
Garcia faced Ronnie Lawrence at Bellator 162 at October 21, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Garcia was expected to face Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017. However, the bout was removed from the fight card after Taimanglo missed weight.[10]
Garcia faced veteran Joe Warren at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[11]
On February 20, 2018 it was announced that Bellator had released Garcia from the promotion.[12]
Contender Series
editGarcia competed on Dana White's Contender Series 25 in August 2019. While he defeated Desmond Torres via TKO in the first round, he was not awarded a UFC contract.[13]
Legacy Fighting Alliance
editAfter the Contender Series, Garcia fought for Legacy Fighting Alliance. He defeated Jose Mariscal via TKO in the second round.[13]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editGarcia made his promotional debut against Luis Peña, replacing Alex Muñoz on February 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169.[14] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[15]
Garcia was scheduled to face Peter Barrett on August 8, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174.[16] However, on July 25, 2020 Gracia withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Youssef Zalal.[17]
Garcia was scheduled to face Charles Jourdain on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187.[18] However, Garcia withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Marcelo Rojo.[19]
Gracia faced Charlie Ontiveros on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194.[20] He won the bout via second round technical knockout.[21]
Garcia was scheduled to face Damir Hadžović on April 23, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 205.[22] The fight was scrapped after visa issues on the part of Damir.[23]
Garcia faced Hayisaer Maheshate on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275.[24] He lost the bout after getting knocked out in the first round.[25]
Garcia faced Chase Hooper on October 29, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213.[26] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[27] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[28]
Garcia faced Shayilan Nuerdanbieke April 8, 2023, at UFC 287.[29] After being knocked down, Garcia won the fight via TKO in the second round via body kick and then ground and pound.[30]
Garcia was scheduled to face Sean Woodson on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50.[31] However, Garcia pulled out due to an injury.[32]
Gracia was scheduled to face Melquizael Costa on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52.[33] However, the bout was scrapped when Garcia withdrew the day before due to an illness.[34] The pair was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 233 on December 9, 2023.[35] Garcia won the fight via knockout in round two.[36]
Garcia faced Seung Woo Choi on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60.[37] He won the fight by technical knockout in the first round.[38] This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.[39]
Replacing Calvin Kattar, Garcia faced Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242.[40] At the weigh-ins, Nelson weighed in at 148.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Nelson was fined 20 percent of his purse, which went to Garcia.[41] Garcia won the fight by technical knockout via elbows and punches in the first round.[42] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[43]
Garcia is scheduled to face Edson Barboza on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252.[44]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Chase Hooper, Seung Woo Choi and Kyle Nelson[28][39][43]
- Tied for fourth most consecutive knockouts in UFC history (5)[45]
Mixed martial arts record
edit22 matches | 17 wins | 5 losses |
By knockout | 14 | 1 |
By submission | 0 | 1 |
By decision | 3 | 3 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 17–5 | Kyle Nelson | TKO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady | September 7, 2024 | 1 | 3:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (148.5 lb) bout; Nelson missed weight. Performance of the Night. |
Win | 16–5 | Choi Seung-woo | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba | July 20, 2024 | 1 | 1:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
Win | 15–5 | Melquizael Costa | KO (elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez | December 9, 2023 | 2 | 1:01 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lightweight bout. |
Win | 14–5 | Shayilan Nuerdanbieke | TKO (body kick and punches) | UFC 287 | April 8, 2023 | 2 | 0:36 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
Win | 13–5 | Chase Hooper | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen | October 29, 2022 | 1 | 1:32 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Featherweight. Performance of the Night. |
Loss | 12–5 | Hayisaer Maheshate | KO (punch) | UFC 275 | June 11, 2022 | 1 | 1:14 | Kallang, Singapore | |
Win | 12–4 | Charlie Ontiveros | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez | October 8, 2021 | 2 | 1:51 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 11–4 | Luis Peña | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo | February 29, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | Lightweight debut. |
Win | 11–3 | Jose Mariscal | TKO (punches) | LFA 80 | January 17, 2020 | 2 | 2:27 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |
Win | 10–3 | Desmond Torres | TKO (punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 25 | August 20, 2019 | 1 | 4:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Bantamweight bout; Garcia missed weight (139 lb). |
Win | 9–3 | Andrew Whitney | TKO (punches) | JacksonWink Fight Night 5 | May 10, 2019 | 1 | 3:27 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |
Win | 8–3 | Abel Cullum | Decision (unanimous) | JacksonWink Fight Night 4 | November 30, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Bantamweight bout. |
Loss | 7–3 | Aalon Cruz | Submission (rear-naked choke) | JacksonWink Fight Night 3 | June 2, 2018 | 1 | 1:47 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Featherweight debut. |
Loss | 7–2 | Joe Warren | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 181 | July 14, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
Win | 7–1 | Ronnie Lawrence | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 162 | October 21, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | |
Loss | 6–1 | Ricky Turcios | Decision (split) | Bellator 151 | March 4, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
Win | 6–0 | Eduardo Bustillos | TKO (punches) | Bellator 143 | September 25, 2015 | 1 | 4:59 | Hidalgo, Texas, United States | |
Win | 5–0 | Kin Moy | Decision (split) | Bellator 123 | September 5, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
Win | 4–0 | Cody Walker | KO (punch) | Bellator 121 | June 6, 2014 | 1 | 0:39 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Catchweight (140 lb) bout. |
Win | 3–0 | Klay Guy | TKO (punches) | Triple A MMA 4 | January 16, 2014 | 2 | 1:14 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Shawn Bunch | TKO (punches) | Bellator 105 | October 25, 2013 | 3 | 3:29 | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States | |
Win | 1–0 | Alan Lerma | TKO (punches) | Triple A MMA 1 | April 28, 2013 | 2 | 1:52 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Resultados del espectáculo de artes marciales mixtas Fecha: 20 de agosto de 2019
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (February 29, 2020). "Steve Garcia dug out of mental hole ahead of short-notice debut at UFC Norfolk". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Phillip Lujan (July 23, 2013). "Bellator 97: Russell Wilson steps in on short notice, replaces Steve Garcia against Shawn Bunch". swfight.com.
- ^ Staff (October 26, 2013). "Bellator 105 results: Brooks and Sarnavskiy book tourney-final date". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (May 22, 2014). "Sokoudjou, undefeated Russian heavyweight Dmitriy Sosnovskiy among new Bellator signings". mmafighting.com.
- ^ Staff (June 6, 2014). "Bellator 121 results: Lins, Thompson and Sokoudjou earn first-round wins". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ "Steve Garcia vs. Kin Moy". sherdog.com. September 5, 2014.
- ^ Juon, Steve (25 September 2015). "Bellator 143 'Warren vs Davis' results: Live streaming play-by-play updates TONIGHT on Spike TV". mmamania.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Mike (4 March 2016). "Ricky Turcios Defeats Steve Garcia On Bellator 151 Prelims". mikethetruth.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Mike Bohn (March 2, 2017). "Kendall Grove-Mike Rhodes, Joe Taimanglo-Steve Garcia scratched from Bellator 174". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ John Morgan (July 14, 2017). "Bellator 181 results: Derek Campos scores trilogy win over Brandon Girtz in blood-soaked instant classic". mmajunkie.com.
- ^ Guilherme Cruz (2018-02-20). "Bellator trims roster, parts ways with 13 fighters". mmafighting.com.
- ^ a b "Steve Garcia: UFC Bound". 10 February 2020.
- ^ Nolan King (2020-02-24). "Steve Garcia replaces Alex Munoz, takes on Luis Pena at UFC on ESPN+ 27". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2020-02-29). "UFC Norfolk Results: Luis Pena Earns Decision Over Steve Garcia". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2020-07-03). "Peter Barrett vs. Steve Garcia added to Aug. 8 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2020-07-25). "Youssef Zalal pakt short notice gevecht tegen Peter Barrett op 8 augustus". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2021-01-17). "Charles Jourdain treft Steve Garcia Jr. tijdens UFC evenement op 13 maart 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Mike Heck (2021-02-24). "With Steve Garcia out, Charles Jourdain now meets Marcelo Rojo at UFC Vegas 21". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ DNA, MMA (2021-08-06). "Charlie Ontiveros en Steve Garcia Jr. vechten voor eerste UFC overwinning op 9 oktober". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
- ^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-10-09). "UFC Vegas 39 Results: Steve Garcia TKO's Charlie Ontiveros In Bloody Fight". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "Fight Site - Damir Hadžović uskoro ponovno u Octagonu, čeka ga pobjednik jedne od najluđih prošlogodišnjih borbi". fightsite.hr (in Croatian). 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
- ^ "Steve Garcia vs. Damir Hadzovic is OFF of UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade due to travel issues on Hadzovic's side". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "马合沙特首秀确定 将与张伟丽一起出战UFC275_PP视频体育频道". www.ppsport.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-06-11). "UFC 275: Debuting Maheshate Floors Steve Garcia". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ Nolan King (2022-08-03). "UFC fights added to Oct. 29 event". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2022-10-29). "UFC Vegas 63: Steve Garcia Spoils the Party with First Round KO of Chase Hooper". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
- ^ a b Staff (2022-10-29). "UFC Fight Night 213 bonuses: Tresean Gore's ultra-violent choke finish is a $50,000 winner". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
- ^ Mike Heck (2023-01-21). "Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Steve Garcia set for UFC 287". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Dewar, Val (2023-04-08). "UFC 287: Steve Garcia Gets Knocked Down, Comes Back to Finish Shayilan Nuerdanbieke With Body Shots". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (20 June 2023). "Jeremiah Wells vs. Carlston Harris, Sean Woodson vs. Steve Garcia Announced for UFC Nashville". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ News Desk (2023-07-19). "Sean Woodson vs Jesse Butler set for Aug 5 UFC event". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Steve Garcia and Melquizael Costa Slated to Clash at UFC Fight Night in Austin on Dec. 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Matt Erickson (2023-12-01). "Steve Garcia illness before weigh-ins scraps fight vs. Melquizael Costa at UFC on ESPN 52". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
- ^ News Desk (2023-12-03). "Steve Garcia Jr. vs Melquizael Costa Reported for UFC Vegas 83". itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-12-10). "UFC Vegas 83: Steve Garcia Batters Melquizael Costa After Grinding Opening Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ Riggs, Drake (2024-05-24). "Morning Report: Tom Aspinall 'putting it all on the line' in 'lose-lose' matchup against Curtis Blaydes". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ Val Dewar (2024-07-20). "Steve Garcia Snags Longest Active UFC KO Streak With KO Of Choi". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ a b Chris Taylor (2024-07-20). "UFC Vegas 94 Bonus Report: Steve Garcia one of four fighters to take home $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ Damon Martin (2024-08-03). "With Calvin Kattar out, Steve Garcia steps in to face Kyle Nelson at UFC Vegas 97". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ Tyler Treese (2024-09-06). "UFC Fight Night 242 Weigh-in Results: 2 Fighters Heavy". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Cade Morehouse (2024-09-07). "Steve Garcia Scores 5th Straight Knockout At UFC Vegas 97". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ a b Andrew Richardson (2024-09-07). "Bonuses! Natalia Silva, Jessica Andrade bank bonus $50k for Flyweight barnburner - UFC Vegas 97". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ Martin, Damon (2024-11-12). "Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia booked for UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 22". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2024-09-08). "UFC Fight Night 242 post-event facts: Jessica Andrade makes history in Fight of the Night defeat". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Steve". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-09.