# Steve Garcia

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.

## 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.

## 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.
The bout with Shawn Bunch was rescheduled for Bellator 105 on October 25, 2013. Garcia defeated Bunch via TKO in the third round.
After signing a new deal with the promotion, Garcia faced Cody Walker at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014. He won the fight via KO just 39 seconds into the first round.
Garcia faced Kin Moy at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014. Garcia won the fight via split decision.
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.
Garcia faced veteran Joe Warren at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
On February 20, 2018 it was announced that Bellator had released Garcia from the promotion.

### Contender Series

Garcia 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.

### Legacy Fighting Alliance

After the Contender Series, Garcia fought for Legacy Fighting Alliance. He defeated Jose Mariscal via TKO in the second round.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Garcia made his promotional debut against Luis Peña, replacing Alex Muñoz on February 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 169. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Garcia was scheduled to face Peter Barrett on August 8, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174. However, on July 25, 2020 Gracia withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Youssef Zalal.
Garcia was scheduled to face Charles Jourdain on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187. However, Garcia withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Marcelo Rojo.
Gracia faced Charlie Ontiveros on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194. He won the bout via second round technical knockout.
Garcia was scheduled to face Damir Hadžović on April 23, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 205. The fight was scrapped after visa issues on the part of Damir.
Garcia faced Hayisaer Maheshate on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275. He lost the bout after getting knocked out in the first round.
Garcia faced Chase Hooper on October 29, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Garcia faced Shayilan Nuerdanbieke April 8, 2023, at UFC 287. After being knocked down, Garcia won the fight via TKO in the second round via body kick and then ground and pound.
Garcia was scheduled to face Sean Woodson on August 5, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50. However, Garcia pulled out due to an injury.
Gracia was scheduled to face Melquizael Costa on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52. However, the bout was scrapped when Garcia withdrew the day before due to an illness. The pair was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 233 on December 9, 2023. Garcia won the fight via knockout in round two.
Garcia faced Seung Woo Choi on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60. He won the fight by technical knockout in the first round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.
Replacing Calvin Kattar, Garcia faced Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242. 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. Garcia won the fight by technical knockout via elbows and punches in the first round. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Garcia was scheduled to face Edson Barboza on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252. However, Barboza withdrew from the fight due to an injury and the fight was scrapped.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Chase Hooper, Seung Woo Choi and Kyle Nelson
** Tied for fourth most consecutive knockouts in UFC history (5)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 22 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. |