UFC featherweight contender Steve Garcia released his first statement since being finished by Diego Lopes at UFC Freedom 250.
Garcia took on Lopes in the first fight of the UFC White House card. After starting strong and winning the first round on all three judges’ scorecards, Garcia got caught in a brawl with Lopes in the second round, and it did not go well for him, as he was dropped and finished with big strikes.
With the loss, Garcia’s seven-fight win streak was snapped.
Steve Garcia Releases 1st Statement After Losing to Diego Lopes
Taking to his social media two days after the loss, Garcia issued his first statement since losing to Lopes at the UFC White House card.
“Sunday night didn’t go as planned, but I’m blessed to be a part of @ufc history. God is still King. I’ve fallen before, and if I’m gonna lose to someone, at least it was to the class act of Diego Lopez. I’m not far off—I will be back. To all my haters, enjoy your celebration while you can. Y’all remember what happened the last time I lost. Thank you to all my fans, sponsors, family, teammates, @jacksonwink_mma, and my management @iridiumsportsagency. Love y’all. God bless,” Garcia wrote on his Instagram.
What’s Next for Steve Garcia?
For Garcia, this loss to Lopes is a big setback after he had won seven straight fights and was on the verge of title contention in the UFC featherweight division. Garcia entered the bout at No. 9 in the UFC’s 145 lbs ranking, with Lopes way up there at No. 2. In the latest UFC rankings updates on Tuesday, Garcia dropped down one spot to No. 10, just behind Kevin Vallejos, but the fact he remains in the top 10 ensures he will get an exciting matchup his next time out.
It’s still possible that Garcia can get back to the top of the featherweight division, but it won’t be easy, as there are lots of other legitimate title contenders at 145 lbs.
Instead of fighting for the belt, the UFC will likely go and match up Garcia with other action-based fighters lower in the top 15 or potentially even outside of it.
Although his seven-fight win streak was nice on paper, none of the opponents whom Garcia defeated were elite in the weight class. Instead, he had mostly been fighting featherweights at the lower end of the rankings, and while they were certainly nice wins, none of them were elite opponents.
Taking on Lopes, who is a legitimate title contender at 145lbs, showed Garcia where he was in the featherweight division. Again, Garcia did well in the first round and won it. But ultimately, his chin let him down again, and he suffered his second knockout loss inside the Octagon.
After this defeat, look for Garcia to take some time off and heal up following such a devastating defeat on the biggest stage imaginable, but when he returns, look for the UFC to match him up with another striker in what will certainly be a fan-friendly fight.
Steve Garcia Releases Statement After UFC White House Defeat