The way Steve Garcia found out he was fighting at UFC Freedom 250 was the same as the rest of the world did.
That’s right, Garcia (19-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who takes on Diego Lopes on June 14 at the highly anticipated UFC White House event, learned he was officially on the card as he sat at home and watched the promotion unveil the lineup during this past Saturday’s UFC 326 broadcast.
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It was a pleasant surprise for Garcia, who didn’t expect to make the cut.
“I really haven’t known,” Garcia told MMA Junkie Radio. “I had a discussion with the UFC on, like, a Monday, not guaranteed nothing. They wanted to know what I was about. It was my first official call with Hunter (Campbell). I’ve talked to Dana before, but this was my first encounter (with Hunter). He wanted to know what I was about and made sure my record was good, and I was American and all the other stuff, so I kind of just had an interview with him, and it was great to talk to him. Then it was crickets after that. I didn’t hear anything. They did throw out Diego Lopes potentially being the candidate. I was in for sure, but they were like, ‘You can’t say anything.’ I was like, ‘OK, not a big deal.’
“I just sat on it for the whole entire time, and if anybody knows me, I’m a man of faith, so I just prayed on it. I was like, ‘God, if this was meant for me, let me have it. If not, then remove from me, and I guess we’ll find out Saturday.’ I was just hanging out at my house, chilling in the chair, and what fight was going on? I think the one before (Raul) Rosas, so I think it was Drew Dober and Michael Johnson, and they announced the White House card, and I was like, ‘All right, let’s see if I’m on it.’ And sure enough, I was at the bottom. That’s how I found out.”
Garcia is proud to be fighting at the White House and is eager to see everything that will come with such a high-profile event. Despite having more than 20 professional fights, fighting at the White House carries a new layer of novelties.
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“This is just a whole different type of game when it comes to the White House,” Garcia said. “You have to have clearance, you have to have a clean record, and you have to have people with you that also have a clean record. There’s a lot of play into it, so I don’t know what it’s all going to entail. I think I’m going to find out this week and weeks to come, so right now we’re going to get ready. We have a name, and that’s all I need.”
Garcia, 33, is currently in his best career moment. The UFC featherweight is on a seven-fight winning streak with his last loss coming in 2022. Garcia last fought in November when he stopped David Onama in the first round of their main event.
The fight against Lopes, a two-time UFC title challenger, is the biggest bout of his career.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Freedom 250 fighter reveals being in the dark until announcement
