VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Steve Garcia says UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones gave him some additional confidence and motivation going into his octagon debut on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 27.
Garcia (11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) got the call Monday night that an offer to join the UFC roster on incredibly short notice had just come through the pipeline. After a brief consultation with his coaches and manager, he accepted the lightweight matchup with Luis Pena (7-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).
It’s an opportunity Garcia has been waiting for since turning professional nearly seven year ago, and the team around him at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., have seen him put in the work. That includes Jones, who gave Garcia a call once he learned what was coming up.
“Everybody hit me up and they’re just so pumped for me,” Garcia told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Jon Jones even hit me up like, ‘You just got signed, that’s awesome.’ His main advice was, ‘There’s nothing more else you can do physically, so just make sure mentally you’re ready to go.’ What better advice to get from the champ, the GOAT? Shout out to Jon. He’s a great guy and I hope I can just do everybody proud back at home and get this win.”
UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The entire card streams on ESPN+.
Garcia said it’s been a “surreal” whirlwind since he accepted the matchup with Pena on just five days’ notice. He said the travel to reach his fight destination was somewhat nightmarish, but it’s made easier by the fact he has minimal weight to cut.
Typically a featherweight, Garcia will compete at 155 pounds for this bout. He got almost no time to train or strategize for Pena, but Garcia said he’s a fan of his opponent and knows what he’s getting himself into this weekend.
It will be hard for Garcia to tell how ready he is physically until he steps in the octagon, but he said he’s going in with the same mentality as any other fight in his career.
“It’s just going to be throwing down,” Garcia said. “It doesn’t matter. If he wants to take it to the ground, I’m always good to go there. But I hope we’re going to be able to have some good striking exchanges and this could even be a ‘Fight of the Night’ type of fight, at least in my eyes. I’m going to go down there and give it all I’ve got.”
