Recent Victor Steve Garcia Shifts Focus From Max Holloway, Eyes 2 Other Foes

Steve Garcia would prefer that his next adversary carry some name recognition to put him on a path towards the featherweight title.

Garcia headlined his first Ultimate Fighting Championship this past Saturday when he faced off against fellow 145-pound finisher David Onama. “Mean Machine” blew through his opponent at Las Vegas’ UFC Apex facility, outclassing Onama on the feet and putting him away in under four minutes. The triumphant New Mexico native called for a fight with Max Holloway, for the Hawaiian’s “BMF” belt.

With Garcia (19-5) not likely relocating back up 10 pounds, and Holloway declaring he intends on competing at lightweight going forward, their pairing is now a pipe dream as they fight a division apart. Holloway, who is coming off a decision in his trilogy match with Dustin Poirier, has his sights firmly set higher on the leaderboard. Not yet in the top 10 at 145 pounds, the Jackson-Wink product is not currently on Holloway’s radar. Additionally, many fighters call out Holloway, giving “Blessed” a wealth of options. He is currently focused on rematching Charles Oliveira.

With the Holloway matchup improbable, Garcia has named a few other dance partners for his next engagement. While he suggested he is willing to face anyone ranked above him on the 145-pound board, he would prefer to face someone with a high amount of fan support. Enter Josh Emmett and Brian Ortega.

The Push to Get Further Up the Rankings

Following his “Performance of the Night”-winning knockout, Garcia floated those two other names as potential opponents in the next few months.

“I think name recognition-[wise], I’d probably say Emmett or Ortega [have the bigger value],” Garcia remarked. “Those would probably be the two I’d say. Because I feel like that’s going to give you the most push to get further up the rankings.”

Garcia is riding a seven-fight winning streak with six knockouts to his credit. While his first two trips to the Octagon did not go spectacularly, a knockout loss to Maheshate Hayisaer in 2022 flipped the switch on “Mean Machine.” Prospective foes Emmett and Ortega are both 1-4 in their last five, respectively. While Emmett has dropped two straight, he succumbed to an armbar from Youssef Zalal in October to put him on his current skid. “T-City” has also lost two in a row, a pair of decisions to Diego Lopes and Aljamain Sterling.