Rafa_García_(fighter)
Rafa García (fighter)
Mexican mixed martial arts fighter
Rafael García Jr. (born August 5, 1994) is an American-born Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, García is also a former Combate Americas Lightweight Champion.
| Rafa García | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rafael García Jr. (1994-08-05) August 5, 1994 (age 29) Brawley, California, United States |
| Other names | Gifted |
| Residence | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Reach | 70.0 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Fighting out of | Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico |
| Team | Team Punisher[2] Yuma United MMA (formerly)[2] UFC GYM Costa Mesa (2017–present)[2] Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center[2] |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[3] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 18 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
García was born in Brawley, California to Mexican parents and grew up in El Centro, California, and has a sister and a younger brother.[2][4] He started training martial arts at the age of 13 when his father took him to a gym to learn self-defense.[2][5] He graduated from Imperial High School where he wrestled for one year.[2][4] He lives in Mexicali, Baja California since 2013.
Early career
Racking up a 4–0 record in Mexico, García participated in the inaugural Combate Americas open tryouts and receiving a contract after winning the tryouts.[6] In Combate Americas García went undefeated 8–0 and claiming the Combate Americas Lightweight Championship against Erick Gonzalez at Combate 44 on September 20, 2019.[7] He successfully defended the title against Humberto Bandenay at Combate 55 on February 21, 2020. On June 13, 2020, García announced that he had vacated the title.[8]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On March 10, 2021, it was announced that García would be replacing Don Madge against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad on March 13, 2021.[9] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[10]
In his sophomore appearance, García faced Chris Gruetzemacher at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland on July 31, 2021. Despite knocking Gruetzemacher down in the first round, García went on to lose the fight via unanimous decision.[11]
García then faced Natan Levy at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate on November 20, 2021.[12] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[13]
García faced Jesse Ronson on April 16, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 34.[14] He won the fight via rear-naked choke in round two.[15]
García faced Drakkar Klose, replacing injured Carlos Diego Ferreira, on July 30, 2022 at UFC 277.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[17]
García faced Hayisaer Maheshate on December 17, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 216.[18] At the weigh-ins, Hayisaer Maheshate weighed in at 158.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Maheshate was fined 20% of his purse, which went to García.[19] García won the fight via unanimous decision.[20]
García faced Clay Guida on April 15, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44.Rafa García[21] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[22]
García and his wife have a daughter (born 2019) and a son (born 2021), both born in Mexicali, Mexico.[2][23]
- Combate Americas
- Combate Americas Lightweight Championship (one time; first; former)
- One successful title defense
- Combate Americas Lightweight Championship (one time; first; former)
| 18 matches | 15 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 6 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–3 | Clay Guida | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen | April 15, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Hayisaer Maheshate | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland | December 17, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Catchweight (158.5 lb) bout; Maheshate missed weight. |
| Loss | 13–3 | Drakkar Klose | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 277 | July 30, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 13–2 | Jesse Ronson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 | April 16, 2022 | 2 | 4:50 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | García was deducted one point in round 2 due to an illegal knee. |
| Win | 12–2 | Natan Levy | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate | November 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–2 | Chris Gruetzemacher | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland | July 31, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–1 | Nasrat Haqparast | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad | March 13, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Humberto Bandenay | Decision (unanimous) | Combate 55: Mexicali | February 21, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexicali, Mexico | Defended the Combate Americas Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Erick Gonzalez | Decision (unanimous) | Combate 44: Mexicali | September 20, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexicali, Mexico | Won the inaugural Combate Americas Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | Estevan Payan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Combate 39: Unbreakable | June 7, 2019 | 1 | 4:50 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Edgar Escarrega | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Combate 30: Mexicali | February 8, 2019 | 2 | 1:07 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
| Win | 7–0 | LaRue Burley | KO (punches) | Combate 24: Alday vs. Lopez | September 14, 2018 | 1 | 2:26 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Chase Gibson | Decision (majority) | Combate 20: Combate Estrellas 1 | April 13, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 5–0 | Marcos Bonilla | Submission (armbar) | Combate 17: El Grito En La Jaula | September 15, 2017 | 2 | 1:07 | Redlands, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Raúl Najera Ocampo | Submission (heel hook) | Combate 10 | January 19, 2017 | 1 | 1:04 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jovany Amador | Submission (armbar) | Warrior Championship Fighting 8 | December 3, 2016 | 1 | 3:21 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
| Win | 2–0 | Mike Sandoval | Submission (armbar) | Warrior Championship Fighting 6 | July 18, 2015 | 1 | 0:24 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
| Win | 1–0 | Dante Ramos | Submission (armbar) | Extreme Full Contact 4 | October 18, 2014 | 1 | 2:06 | Mexicali, Mexico | Featherweight debut. |
- "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
- Jesse Ruiz (October 25, 2020). Rafa "Gifted" Garcia talks Family, Fighting, and His Rise to the Top – via YouTube.
- "Rafa Garcia". UFC.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- "Imperial's Garcia to make UFC debut on Saturday". Imperial Valley Press. March 12, 2021.
- "Ahead of Combate Americas title defense, Rafa Garcia reflects on Mexicali street fighting origins". MMA Junkie. 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- Eric Kowal (March 13, 2018). "Combate Americas – Six New Fights Added To April 13 Live Event in LA". mymmanews.com.
- Danny Segura (February 21, 2020). "Ahead of Combate Americas title defense, Rafa Garcia reflects on Mexicali street fighting origins". MMAjunkie.com.
- Gabriel Gonzalez (March 9, 2021). "UFC Vegas 21: Rafa Garcia Steps in to Face Nasrat Haqparast". cagesidepress.com.
- Alex Behunin (March 13, 2021). "UFC Vegas 21 Results: Nasrat Haqparast Defeats Rafa Garcia Via Unanimous Decision". cagesidepress.com.
- Daniel Vreeland (July 31, 2021). "UFC Vegas 33 Results: Chris Gruetzemacher Pours it on, Decisions Rafa Garcia". cagesidepress.com.
- Farah Hannoun (September 6, 2021). "UFC books Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy for Nov. 20 event". MMAjunkie.com.
- Bitter, Shawn (2021-11-20). "UFC Vegas 43: Rafa Garcia Tops Natan Levy, Earns First UFC Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-11-21.
- "Ronson vs. Garcia toegevoegd aan evenement op 16 april". Eurosport (in Dutch). 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- Anderson, Jay (2022-04-16). "UFC Vegas 51: Faced with Point Deduction, Rafa Garcia Submits Jesse Ronson". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- Nolan King (2022-07-18). "UFC 277 hit with multitude of withdrawals. Here's where the card stands less than two weeks away". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- Theodosi, Jamie (2022-07-30). "UFC 277: After Impressive Display Against Rafa Garcia, Drakkar Klose Calls Out "El Cucuy"". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- "Rafa Garcia vs. Maheshate Hayisaer agregado a UFC Vegas 66 - MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español". mma.uno (in Spanish). 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
- Alexander K. Lee (2022-12-16). "UFC Vegas 66 weigh-in results: Maheshate misses weight by 2.5 pounds". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
- Anderson, Jay (2022-12-17). "UFC Vegas 66: Bad Blood Boils Over, Rafa García Bloodied but Victorious Against Maheshate". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- Anderson, Jay (2023-02-10). "Clay Guida vs. Rafa Garcia Booked for UFC Kansas City". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- Dewar, Val (2023-04-15). "UFC Kansas City: Rafa García Tenderizes Clay Guida's Face to 30-27 Sweep". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- Steven Fackman (September 17, 2021). "Rafa Garcia, Nathan Fletcher" (Podcast).
- Sherdog.com. "Rafa García". Sherdog.
- Rafa García at UFC
- Rafa García at Sherdog
- Rafa García at Tapology.com
- Rafa García at Fight Matrix
- Rafa García on Instagram
