Steve
Garcia is hoping that an eight-fight win streak after
prevailing at the White House will be enough to punch his ticket to
gold.
Garcia opens the
UFC White House card against two-time title challenger Diego Lopes
on Sunday. Residing in the No. 3 and No. 12 spots at featherweight,
respectively, on
Sherdog’s Official Rankings, Garcia believes an upset over the
top-ranked Brazilian immediately makes him relevant in the
145-pound title picture.
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Garcia plans to dominate Lopes from the opening bell. While “Mean
Machine” doesn’t want to divulge much, he advises fans not to
blink. Garcia said in an interview with the UFC:
“Having an opponent like Diego Lopes, knowing where his ranking is
at. Having the opportunity to fight someone that high, challenging
myself, but also being able to put myself in a position where I
could challenge for the title… I’m just gonna go out there and
dominate him. Dominate him from the start of the bell to the end of
the bell. I don’t care how I get it done; it just has to happen.
I’m not gonna give away [my plan], but don’t blink; there’s a
reason why we’re the first fight to open up the card.”
Garcia (19-5) has won seven straight dating back to 2022, picking
up six finishes along the way. Meanwhile, Lopes (27-8) has come up
short in two title bids against Alexander
Volkanovski in his last three outings, with those championship
tilts bookending a stoppage win over Jean
Silva.