Steve Garcia

Estevan M. 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 June 20, 2026, he is #12 in the Meta UFC featherweight rankings.

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 Academy.

Garcia is of Mexican descent.

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. The bout with Bunch was later rescheduled for Bellator 105 on October 25, 2013, where Garcia won 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, and secured a knockout victory just 39 seconds into the first round. He next fought Kin Moy at Bellator 123 on September 5, 2014, winning by split decision.

Garcia continued his momentum with a first-round TKO win over Eduardo Bustillos at Bellator 143 on September 25, 2015. However, at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016, he suffered the first loss of his professional career, dropping a split decision to Ricky Turcios.

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.

Garcia returned at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017, where he lost to veteran Joe Warren by unanimous decision. On February 20, 2018, it was announced that Bellator had released Garcia from the promotion.

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.

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. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

He was next scheduled to face Peter Barrett at UFC Fight Night 174 on August 8, 2020, but withdrew from the fight on July 25 for undisclosed reasons.Youssef Zalal tepped in as his replacement.

Garcia was booked to fight Charles Jourdain on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187, but withdrew for unknown reasons. Marcelo Rojo took his place on the card.

Returning to action, Garcia faced Charlie Ontiveros on October 9, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 194, securing a second-round technical knockout victory.

He was scheduled to fight Damir Hadžović at UFC Fight Night 205 on April 23, 2022, but the bout was cancelled due to Hadžović experiencing visa issues.

Garcia then competed against Hayisaer Maheshate on June 11, 2022 at UFC 275, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss.

On October 29, 2022, Garcia rebounded with a first-round TKO win over Chase Hooper at UFC Fight Night 213, He won the fight via TKO in the first round. earning his first Performance of the Night bonus.

At UFC 287 on April 8, 2023, Garcia faced Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. Despite being knocked down early, he rallied to win via second-round TKO with a body kick followed by ground and pound.

Garcia was slated to fight Sean Woodson at UFC on ESPN 50 on August 5, 2023, but withdrew due to injury. He was then scheduled to face Melquizael Costa on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52, but pulled out the day before due to illness. The bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 233 on December 9, 2023, where Garcia won by second-round knockout.

On July 20, 2024, Garcia faced Seung Woo Choi at UFC on ESPN 60, winning by first-round technical knockout and earning another Performance of the Night award.

Replacing Calvin Kattar, Garcia fought Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242. 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. Garcia won via first-round TKO with elbows and punches, earning yet another Performance of the Night award.

Garcia was scheduled to face Edson Barboza on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252, but the fight was cancelled after Barboza withdrew due to injury.

Garcia returned to face Calvin Kattar on July 12, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 70, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

Garcia faced David Onama in the main event on November 1, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 263. He won by technical knockout in the first round, handing Onama his first loss by stoppage. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

Garcia faced former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Diego Lopes on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Four times) Highest knockdowns-per-fifteen minutes in UFC Featherweight division history (2.64) Tied (Dan Ige) for sixth most knockdowns in UFC Featherweight division history (7)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Diego Lopes KO (punches) UFC Freedom 250

Washington, D.C., United States Win

David Onama TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Garcia vs. Onama

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Calvin Kattar Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Kyle Nelson TKO (elbows and punches) UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Choi Seung-woo TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Melquizael Costa KO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutiérrez

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Shayilan Nuerdanbieke KO (body kick and punches) UFC 287

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Chase Hooper TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Maheshate Hayisaer KO (punch) UFC 275

Kallang, Singapore Win

Charlie Ontiveros TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Rodriguez

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Luis Peña Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo

Norfolk, Virginia, United States Win

Jose Mariscal TKO (knee and elbows) LFA 80

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Win

Desmond Torres TKO (punches and elbows) Dana White's Contender Series 25

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Andrew Whitney TKO (punches) Jackson Wink Fight Night 5

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Win

Abel Cullum Decision (unanimous) Jackson Wink Fight Night 4

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Loss

Aalon Cruz Submission (rear-naked choke) Jackson Wink Fight Night 3

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Loss

Joe Warren Decision (unanimous) Bellator 181

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Ronnie Lawrence Decision (unanimous) Bellator 162

Memphis, Tennessee, United States Loss

Ricky Turcios Decision (split) Bellator 151

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Eduardo Bustillos TKO (punches) Bellator 143

Hidalgo, Texas, United States Win

Kin Moy Decision (split) Bellator 123

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Cody Walker KO (punch) Bellator 121

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Klay Guy TKO (punches) Triple A MMA 4

Fort Worth, Texas, United States Win

Shawn Bunch TKO (punches) Bellator 105

Rio Rancho, New Mexico, United States Win

Alan Lerma TKO (punches) Triple A MMA 1

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States