Heavy MMA: How would you compare it to the fight you had with Roger Huerta at UFC 69?
Garcia: This bout was a little bit more action packed. The fight with Huerta had its share of high and low moments. We did a lot of ground work which slowed the pace down at times. This fight was a 15 minute brawl and was a much more exciting fight. We were brawling the entire duration of the fight.
Heavy MMA: What are your thoughts on the featherweight division and the champion Jose Aldo?
Garcia: I think our division is the most exciting one in MMA. We have the most guys willing to go out and put on an exciting fight. Aldo is trying to be the guy who brings stability to our division. He’s a tough nut to crack. You have to figure out where you want to fight him because he is so good at everything. Do you want to fight him standing up and get your leg beat up like Urijah Faber did or do you want to go down to the ground and get beat up like Mike Brown did? Not much of an option if you ask me! You just got to go in there and make him fight your fight. I’d try to make it a brawl, but that is dangerous because he has great Muay Thai. He is quickly becoming the Anderson Silva and GSP of our weight division. He makes me want to go to the gym and figure him out, I would love to fight him.
Heavy MMA: How do you feel Manny Gamburyan stacks up against him?
Garcia: Manny shocked a lot of people knocking out Brown the way he did. Manny has great leg locks, but he has to get him down first. If he tries to stand with Aldo he will get destroyed.
Heavy MMA: Do you think you will fight George Roop again?
Garcia: I’d like to fight him again because I don’t feel he’s a danger to me. I think the fight was as good as it was due to my lack of training. When Diego Nunes pulled out three weeks before our fight and I was told I was fighting Roop, I felt as though he didn’t stand a chance against me. I stopped training and actually went down to Texas for two weeks and hung out with my girlfriend. I almost paid a huge price for taking him lightly. I’d like to fight him again just to prove that I am the better fighter. That mistake could have cost me my job and it will not happen again.
Heavy MMA: So we can expect an even better fighter from here on in?
Garcia: You can certainly count on it. I want to go back to being an all-around fighter. I want to utilize my submissions more and still put on exciting fights. I got into the habit of going out there with the sole intention of putting on a great show. My mindset was to please the fans and while I still want to do that I also want to be a more complete fighter. I love the fans and it’s a great feeling hearing from them, but I also want to win my fights and work my way towards a championship.