Steve Garcia confident he will be first person to KO Calvin Kattar at UFC Nashville: “We are going to swing and watch someone fall”
Steve Garcia is ready to make a statement and prove he is a top-ranked featherweight at UFC Nashville.
Garcia was supposed to face Edson Barboza at UFC Seattle in February, but the Brazilian had to pull out. After he withdrew, it was disappointing for Garcia, as it was going to be a big-name opponent he could build his name off of.
“It was super disappointing, the dude is a legend,” Garcia said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “He probably wouldn’t have done much for the rankings as he was 15. But to have a win over Barboza is a feather in the cap. I’m sad I missed the opportunity, but the world keeps revolving and we will keep on moving.”
Once the fight was off, Garcia was hoping to return soon. However, he didn’t get a fight offer until UFC Nashville in July against Calvin Kattar, which is a fight he’s excited about.
Although Kattar is on a four-fight losing streak, Garcia believes that will make him dangerous at UFC Nashville as it’s likely do-or-die for him.
“He’s fought the best guys in the division,” Garcia said. “The Zalal fight was, was a hard one. I tuned in to watch UFC to watch the best fighters in the world, and that wasn’t a fight. You had someone just move around and outpoint someone… This fight with me is do-or-die for me. He is on a skid, and he’s going to come out as strong as he’s been, as he has a point to prove. If he loses again, I don’t know where his career goes, and this is where people get desperate, and that is what makes them dangerous.”
Steve Garcia eyes KO win over Calvin Kattar
Although Steve Garcia is expecting a dangerous Calvin Kattar at UFC Nashville, he is confident he will not only win but will KO Kattar.
No one has knocked out Kattar in the UFC or in his career, but Garcia believes his power is too much and it will lead to the KO.
“You are going to see fireworks. Two strikers are going toe-to-toe, and we are going to swing and watch someone fall… I promise you I’m going for the knockout,” Garcia said. “I will beat him until it happens, and I know he will do everything he can to avoid that. That is why this is a good fight. You are fighting two dogs.”
If Garcia does KO Kattar, he isn’t sure what is next for him. But, he hopes it does make him a top-10 opponent and prove to everyone he is a legit title contender at featherweight.
“Ultimately, that’s not for me to decide,” Garcia concluded. “If I can finish him, I think I should be top 10. Zalal squeaked out a decision and is 12, if I can solidify it, but I don’t know, I don’t have that Dana White privilege. I’m the darkest horse in the division. Not am I winning, but I’m knocking them out, I’m doing everything I can to be undeniable because people want to keep on denying me.”
