Steve Garcia
American mixed martial arts fighter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Estevan Garcia Jr. (born May 22, 1992), known as Steve Garcia, is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, he has previously competed in Bellator's bantamweight division. As of January 27, 2026, he is #9 in the UFC featherweight rankings.[2]
May 22, 1992
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
| 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 | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |
| Division | Lightweight Featherweight Bantamweight |
| Reach | 75 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 | 24 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 15 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| 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.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
Bellator MMA
Garcia was expected to make his Bellator debut against Shawn Bunch at Bellator 97 on July 31, 2013, but he withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Russell Wilson.[4] The bout with Bunch was later rescheduled for Bellator 105 on October 25, 2013, where Garcia won via TKO in the third round.[5]
After signing a new deal with the promotion,[6] Garcia faced Cody Walker at Bellator 121 on June 6, 2014, and secured a knockout victory just 39 seconds into the first round.[7] He next fought Kin Moy at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014, winning by split decision.[8]
Garcia continued his momentum with a first-round TKO win over Eduardo Bustillos at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015.[9] However, at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016, he suffered the first loss of his professional career, dropping a split decision to Ricky Turcios.[10]
He rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Ronnie Lawrence at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016. Garcia was then scheduled to face Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 174 on March 3, 2017, but the bout was removed from the card after Taimanglo missed weight.[11]
Garcia returned at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017, where he lost to veteran Joe Warren by unanimous decision.[12] On February 20, 2018, it was announced that Bellator had released Garcia from the promotion.[13]
Contender Series
Garcia appeared on Dana White's Contender Series 25, where he faced Desmond Torres. He won the bout via first-round TKO, but was not awarded a UFC contract due to missing weight.[14]
Legacy Fighting Alliance
Following his appearance on the Contender Series, Garcia signed with Legacy Fighting Alliance. He made his promotional debut against Jose Mariscal, earning a second-round TKO victory.[14]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Garcia made his UFC debut on February 29, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 169, stepping in to replace Alex Muñoz against Luis Peña.[15] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[16]
He was next scheduled to face Peter Barrett at UFC Fight Night 174 on August 8, 2020,[17] but withdrew from the fight on July 25 for undisclosed reasons.Youssef Zalal tepped in as his replacement.[18]
Garcia was booked to fight Charles Jourdain on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187,[19] but withdrew for unknown reasons. Marcelo Rojo took his place on the card.[20]
Returning to action, Garcia faced Charlie Ontiveros on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194,[21] securing a second-round technical knockout victory.[22]
He was scheduled to fight Damir Hadžović at UFC Fight Night 205 on April 23, 2022,[23] but the bout was cancelled due to Hadžović experiencing visa issues.[24]
Garcia then competed against Hayisaer Maheshate on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275,[25] where he suffered a first-round knockout loss.[26]
On October 29, 2022, Garcia rebounded with a first-round TKO win over Chase Hooper at UFC Fight Night 213,[27] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[28] earning his first Performance of the Night bonus.[29]
At UFC 287 on April 8, 2023, Garcia faced Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.[30] Despite being knocked down early, he rallied to win via second-round TKO with a body kick followed by ground and pound.[31]
Garcia was slated to fight Sean Woodson at UFC on ESPN 50 on August 5, 2023,[32] but withdrew due to injury.[33] He was then scheduled to face Melquizael Costa on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52,[34] but pulled out the day before due to illness.[35] The bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 233 on December 9, 2023,[36] where Garcia won by second-round knockout.[37]
On July 20, 2024, Garcia faced Seung Woo Choi at UFC on ESPN 60,[38] winning by first-round technical knockout and earning another Performance of the Night award.[39][40]
Replacing Calvin Kattar, Garcia fought Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242.[41] Nelson missed weight, coming in at 148.5 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded at catchweight, and he was fined 20 percent of his purse, which was awarded to Garcia.[42] Garcia won via first-round TKO with elbows and punches, earning yet another Performance of the Night award.[43][44]
Garcia was scheduled to face Edson Barboza on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252,[45] but the fight was cancelled after Barboza withdrew due to injury.[46][47]
Garcia returned to face Calvin Kattar on July 12, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 70,[48] winning the bout by unanimous decision.[49]
Garcia faced David Onama in the main event on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263.[50] He won by technical knockout in the first round, handing Onama his first loss by stoppage.[51] This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.[52]
Garcia is scheduled to face former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Diego Lopes on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250.[53]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Chase Hooper, Seung Woo Choi, Kyle Nelson and David Onama[29][40][44][52]
- Tied for fourth most consecutive knockouts in UFC history (5)[54]
- Tied (Dan Ige & Choi Doo-ho) for fifth most knockouts in UFC Featherweight division history (5)[55]
- MMA Junkie
- 2024 Under-the-Radar Fighter of the Year[56]
Mixed martial arts record
| 24 matches | 19 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 15 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19–5 | David Onama | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama | November 1, 2025 | 1 | 3:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 18–5 | Calvin Kattar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira | July 12, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| 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 | KO (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 | Maheshate Hayisaer | 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 (knee and elbows) | LFA 80 | January 17, 2020 | 2 | 2:27 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 10–3 | Desmond Torres | TKO (punches and elbows) | 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) | Jackson Wink Fight Night 5 | May 10, 2019 | 1 | 3:27 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 8–3 | Abel Cullum | Decision (unanimous) | Jackson Wink 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) | Jackson Wink 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. |