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Before Dan Ige became everyone’s favorite fighter for stepping in on hours’ notice to face Diego Lopes at UFC 303 last month, he was scheduled to fight this weekend at the APEX.
But when Joanderson Brito was forced from the matchup, Steve Garcia offered his services to meet the Hawaiian, even though he was already matched up with SeungWoo Choi.
“If it comes down to it, then I’ll fight both of them,” Garcia said. “I’ll fight him (Choi) on the undercard and then I’ll fight him (Ige) on the main card.”
The crazy thing is that Garcia meant it. And while Ige went on to fight Lopes and Garcia remains on this Saturday’s card against Choi, he has no regrets about making the respectful call-out.
“There’s things you’re willing to do if you’re trying to be great,” he said. “I train every day for five rounds. I’m not trying to be a three-round fighter. I’m trying to be a five-round fighter, and I’ve always told my coaches that. I’m always the last one sparring or I’m doing extra work. So if an opportunity presents itself, I’ll throw my name in the hat if I have to.”
Garcia may be training to be a five-round fighter, but, as of late, he hasn’t even needed three to get the job done, as he’s knocked out Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Melquizael Costa in successive fights. The 32-year-old doesn’t feel like it’s a new beginning, but a continuation of what he’s been doing over the last several years.
“I feel like my back was kind of against the wall after I lost in Singapore (in 2022 to Maheshate), and after having a conversation with my management team, I feel like they stuck their neck out for me, so I told them I wasn’t going to embarrass them. I just wanted to prove what I’m capable of, and I feel like I’ve been doing that. We’re on a three-fight win streak, and it’s kind of crazy. So I feel like I’m trending in the right direction and I have a lot to prove. Still, to this day, I feel like people just doubt me, and that’s okay because I think I fight better when that happens.”
Most would not be this grounded on the heels of a three-fight knockout streak. How does the Albuquerque native remain so humble?
“There’s a couple things,” Garcia explains. “Number one, I’m a man of faith and I feel like if I don’t stay humble, God will humble me. And number two, I have a wife that will humble me, too. (Laughs) She always reminds me, ‘Don’t let your head get too big.’ She gets more scared about it than I guess I do.”
It’s good to have that type of support in his corner, or better yet, a voice of reason, because to be the fighter in the equation, you can’t think about the negative outcome of a fight.
“For me to do what I do, you have to have confidence,” Garcia said. “You have to believe in yourself. And I don’t know why it’s the hardest thing to do sometimes; it’s hard to believe that you could do something great, and I kind of wish it wasn’t like that, but it is what it is. And there’s points in my training camps and in my career, too, that I’m just like, ‘No, dude, I got it. This is what I do.’ I’ve been training since I was 15 years old. I’m 32, so I was about 17 years in the making. At some point, I have to tell everybody and show everybody that I can do it. And that’s what’s been going on.”
Steve Garcia kicks Shayilan Nuerdanbieke of China in a featherweight fight during the UFC 287 event at Kaseya Center on April 08, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)
It’s serious business, and New Mexico’s “Mean Machine” is a serious man. So when asked if he finds some time to enjoy this whole process, he laughs.
“It depends on the day. “Later in the weekend, I’m just like, ‘Dude, what are you doing?’ But when I’m recharged and I’m happy and I have my energy and I’m not beat up, hell yeah. I’m like, nobody else can do what I do. I’m one of 600 people in the world doing this, so I’m going to ride this out. I’m trying to keep the belt in my sights, and it’s very far down the road, but I’m a lot closer than I was last time. And every time I fight, I’m always a little bit closer. And I think as long as I keep finishing these guys, you can’t deny me.”
Steve Garcia: “Nobody else can do what I do.” (2024, July 17). UFC. https://www.ufc.com/news/steve-garcia-nobody-else-can-do-what-i-do-ufc-fight-night-vegas-94