Fighter Wiki Pages
Leonard Garcia
| Leonard Garcia | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1979 Plainview, Texas, United States |
| Other names | Bad Boy, |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |
| Division | Featherweight Lightweight |
| Reach | 69.5 in (177 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Lubbock, Texas |
| Team | Jackson’s Submission Fighting |
| Rank | brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 1999–2003; 2006–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 9 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 8 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Leonard Garcia (born July 14, 1979 in Plainview, Texas) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He previously fought for the UFC in the lightweight division before moving down to the featherweight division in the World Extreme Cagefighting. Garcia currently trains at Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is known for his brawling style and for having an “iron chin”, having never being knocked out in MMA competition. Many fans and critics including UFC commentator Mike Goldberg consider Garcia to be one of the most exciting fighters to watch in MMA history.
Contents |
Mixed martial arts career
Garcia began his career in 1999, competing on the regional circuit in the Western United States. Garcia competed in the first WEC event back in 2001 at WEC 1. After compiling an impressive 8–1 beginning to his professional career, Garcia took a three year break.
Returning to action in 2006, Garcia was tabbed as a short notice replacement against high ranking contender Roger Huerta at UFC 69 where he lost a very one sided unanimous decision, after taking an awful lot of punishment throughout the fight.
Garcia then defeated Allen Berube by submission at The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale. In his next bout Garcia lost via decision to Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 11. After going 1–2 with the UFC, Garcia was released from his contract.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Garcia defeated Hiroyuki Takaya via first round KO at WEC 32. In his next fight, Leonard knocked out former undisputed UFC lightweight champion and WEC featherweight title challenger Jens Pulver seventy-two seconds into first round at WEC 36.
On March 1, 2009, Garcia lost the WEC Featherweight title match against champion Mike Brown. Brown landed a huge overhand right, knocking Gracia down in the first 30 seconds of the fight, landed some ground and pound, and then secured a fight ending arm triangle choke.
Garcia defeated Jameel Massouh by controversial split decision on August 9, 2009 at WEC 42. In his next fight, Garcia lost to Judo specialist Manvel Gamburyan on November 18, 2009 at WEC 44 via unanimous decision.[1]
Garcia was expected to face Diego Nunes on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47,[2] but Nunes was forced from the card with an injury.[3] Garcia instead faced former UFC fighter George Roop[4] with the bout ending in a split draw that was seen as strange as many felt Roop had won the fight.
Garcia faced WEC newcomer Chan Sung Jung on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48. Garcia replaced Cub Swanson who was forced from the card with an injury.[5] The fight went the full three rounds and Garcia won in a controversial split decision. The fight won Fight of the Night honors, being hailed by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and announcer Joe Rogan as “the best fight I’ve seen in my life.”
Garcia faced Mark Hominick on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.[6] He lost the fight via split decision.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[7] Garcia was expected to face Tyler Toner at The Ultimate 12 Finale,[8] but Garcia was pulled from the bout with Toner in favor of a bout with Nam Phan.[9]
Garcia won the fight via a highly controversial split decision. Garcia and Phan received Fight of the Night honors for their performances.[10] This was the first televised featherweight bout in the UFC.
A rematch with Phan was expected on March 26, 2011 at UFC Fight Night 24.[11] However, Phan was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Chan Sung Jung.[12] Garcia lost to Jung in the second round, falling victim to the first twister submission in UFC history.
Garcia was expected to face The Ultimate Fighter 12 alumni Alex Caceres on August 14, 2011 at UFC on Versus 5.[13] However, Garcia was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Jim Hettes.[14]
Garcia fought Nam Phan in a rematch of their highly controversial TUF 12 Finale bout at UFC 136 in Houston, Texas on October 8, 2011. Garcia lost via unanimous decision in a fight that earned Fight of the Night honors.[15]
Garcia was expected to face Zhang Tie Quan on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144 but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to undisclosed injuries.[16]
Personal life
In March 2008, Garcia was arrested as part of an alleged cocaine ring, which put his career on hold. According to Garcia, “I had a buddy, a really good friend of mine in Lubbock, and he was into things that weren’t good,” he said. “I knew about what the guy was up to but he was a friend of mine. The law says even if he’s your friend, you are required to report on the guy. The other 11 guys, I didn’t know any of them.” Three months later, he was exonerated.[17]
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Won Fight of the Night (Twice)
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- Won Fight of the Night (Twice)
- Won Knockout of the Night (Once)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Fight of the Year (2010) vs. Chan Sung Jung[18]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 15 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By submission | 9 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 6 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–8–1 | Nam Phan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 136 | October 8, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Loss | 15–7–1 | Jung Chan-Sung | Submission (twister) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis | March 26, 2011 | 2 | 4:59 | Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 15–6–1 | Nam Phan | Decision (split) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale | December 4, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Loss | 14–6–1 | Mark Hominick | Decision (split) | WEC 51 | September 30, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Jung Chan-Sung | Decision (split) | WEC 48 | April 24, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | Fight of the Night; Considered by many publications to be fight of the year |
| Draw | 13–5–1 | George Roop | Draw (split) | WEC 47 | March 6, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Loss | 13–5 | Manvel Gamburyan | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 44 | November 18, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–4 | Jameel Massouh | Decision (split) | WEC 42 | August 9, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Mike Brown | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | WEC 39 | March 1, 2009 | 1 | 1:57 | Corpus Christi, Texas, United States | For WEC Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 12–3 | Jens Pulver | TKO (punches) | WEC 36 | November 5, 2008 | 1 | 1:12 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Knockout of the Night |
| Win | 11–3 | Hiroyuki Takaya | KO (punch) | WEC 32 | February 13, 2008 | 1 | 1:31 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Featherweight debut |
| Loss | 10–3 | Cole Miller | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs Florian | September 19, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Allen Berube | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale | June 23, 2007 | 1 | 4:22 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Roger Huerta | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 69 | April 7, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Rocky Johnson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ROF 23: Impact | April 1, 2006 | 1 | 4:58 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Justin James | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ROF 7: Meltdown | March 28, 2003 | 1 | 2:28 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Steve Horton | Submission (armbar) | ROF 4: Warriors | March 15, 2002 | 1 | 0:33 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Víctor Estrada | KO (head kick) | WEC 1 | June 30, 2001 | 2 | 0:54 | Lemoore, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Jake Hattan | Submission (guillotine choke) | ROF 2: Trial By Fire | February 10, 2001 | 2 | 1:46 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Shawn Simpson | Submission (triangle choke) | ROF 2: Trial By Fire | February 10, 2001 | 1 | 0:32 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Brent Medley | Submission (triangle choke) | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 18 | November 25, 2000 | 1 | 3:59 | Amarillo, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Puma Green | Submission (armbar) | Ring of Fire 1 | March 18, 2000 | 1 | 2:15 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Brent Medley | Decision | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 15 | May 1, 1999 | 1 | 20:00 | Dumas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Cantrell | Submission (armbar) | Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 15 | May 1, 1999 | 1 | 1:28 | Dumas, Texas, United States |
References
- ^ “WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo results”. www.wec.tv/index.cfmom. 2009-11-19. http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=eventdetail.fightCard&eid=2395.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia and Diego Nunes agree to WEC 47 bout”. mmajunkie.com. 2010-01-18. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17596/leonard-garcia-and-diego-nunes-verbally-agree-to-wec-47-bout.mma.
- ^ “Injury forces Diego Nunes to withdraw from WEC 47 on March 6 in Columbus”. mmamania.com. 2010-02-18. http://www.mmamania.com/2010/2/18/1315534/report-injury-forces-diego-nunes.
- ^ “George Roop tapped as late replacement, faces Leonard Garcia at WEC 47″. mmajunkie.com. 2010-02-20. http://mmajunkie.com/news/18019/george-roop-tapped-as-late-replacement-faces-leonard-garcia-at-wec-47.mma.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia Replaces Cub Swanson, Fights Jung at WEC 48 in April”. mmafrenzy.com. http://mmafrenzy.com/13747/leonard-garcia-replaces-cub-swanson-fights-jung-at-wec-48-in-april/. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ “Mark Hominick vs. Leonard Garcia on tap for WEC 51 in September”. mmajunkie.com. 07-08-2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/19867/mark-hominick-vs-leonard-garcia-on-tap-for-wec-51-in-september.mma.
- ^ “UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV”. mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21189/ufc-and-wec-set-to-merge-in-2011-events-to-air-on-versus-and-spike-tv.mma.
- ^ “Garcia Meets Nam Pham (A semi final runner up on TUF 12) At TUF 12 Finale On Dec 4″. mmajunkie.com. Dec 1, 2010.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan slotted for The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale”. mmajunkie.com. Dec 1, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21584/leonard-garcia-vs-nam-phan-slotted-for-the-ultimate-fighter-12-finale.mma.
- ^ “TUF 12 Finale Results: Garcia Defeats Phan in Highly Controversial Split Decision”. MMAWeekly.com. December 4, 2010. http://mmaweekly.com/tuf-12-finale-garcia-defeats-phan-in-highly-controversial-split-decision.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan 2 Headed to UFC Fight Night 24″. mmaweekly.com. January 10, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/leonard-garcia-vs-nam-phan-2-headed-to-ufc-fight-night-24.
- ^ “UFC Fight Night 24: Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung booked with Nam Phan injured”. mmamania.com. March 16, 2011. http://www.mmamania.com/2011/3/16/2055079/ufc-fight-night-24-leonard-garcia-vs-chan-sung-jung-booked-with-nam.
- ^ “Alex Caceres vs. Leonard Garcia slotted for UFC on Versus 5″. mmajunkie.com. May 25, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/23726/alex-caceres-vs-leonard-garcia-slotted-for-ufc-on-versus-5.mma.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia out, Jim Hettes in against “Bruce Leroy” at UFC on Versus 5″. mmajunkie.com. August 2, 2011. http://mmajunkie.com/news/24658/leonard-garcia-out-jim-hettes-in-against-bruce-leroy-at-ufc-on-versus-5.mma.
- ^ “UFC 136 Fight Card: The Rematch That Never Was, Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia”. MMAWeekly.com. September 7, 2011. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-136-fight-card-the-rematch-that-never-was-nam-phan-vs-leonard-garcia.
- ^ “Leonard Garcia Injured and Out of UFC 144″. mmaweekly.com.. 2012-01-30. http://mmaweekly.com/leonard-garcia-injured-and-out-of-ufc-144.
- ^ Dave Meltzer (2009-02-27). “After fighting feds, Garcia ready for Brown”. Yahoo Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dm-wec022709. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 26, 2011). “Biggest issue of the year: The 2011 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Issue”. Wrestling Observer Newsletter (Campbell, CA): 1–40. ISSN 10839593.
External links
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