Steve Garcia
Steve Garcia, Jr. (born May 22, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. Garcia competed in Bellator's bantamweight division.
| Steve Garcia | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 22, 1992 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
| Other names | Mean Machine |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight |
| Reach | 73.0 in (185 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States |
| Team | Jackson's MMA |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Inspired 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.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
Bellator MMA
Garcia 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.[2]
The bout with Shawn Bunch was rescheduled for Bellator 105 on October 25, 2013. Garcia defeated Bunch via TKO in the third round.[3]
After signing a new deal with the promotion,[4] Garcia faced Cody Walker at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014. He won the fight via KO just 39 seconds into the first round.[5]
Garcia faced Kin Moy at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014. Garcia won the fight via split decision.[6]
Garcia faced Eduardo Bustillos at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
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.
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.[7]
Garcia faced veteran Joe Warren at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[8]
On February 20, 2018 it was announced that Bellator had released Garcia from the promotion.[9]
Contender Series
Garcia competed on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series in August 2019. While he defeated Desmond Torres via TKO in the first round, he was not awarded a UFC contract.[10]
Legacy Fighting Alliance
After the Contender Series, Garcia fought for Legacy Fighting Alliance. He defeated Jose Mariscal via TKO in the second round. [11]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 15 matches | 11 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 lbs). |
| 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 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Klay Guy | TKO (punches) | Triple A MMA 4: Caged Hostility | 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: Chavez vs. White | April 28, 2013 | 2 | 1:52 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
References
- 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.
- 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.
- https://fight-library.com/2020/02/10/steve-garcia-ufc-bound/
- https://fight-library.com/2020/02/10/steve-garcia-ufc-bound/
- 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.