Leonard Garcia
UFC featherweight Leonard ‘Bad Boy’ Garcia (15-10-1) has a dance partner for his next bout, at least according to the Jackson’s MMA fighter, as he expects to face submission ace Cody ‘AK Kid’ McKenzie (13-3) this April at UFC 159.
Garcia Tweeted news of the fight on Saturday in a Twitter (@badboygarcia) conversation with Duane Ludwig.
– @DUANEBANGCOM trying to come ASAP I’m fighting Cody Mackenzie April 27th!
If that is the case, then both men will meet at the upcoming UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen pay-per-view event which is expected to take place at the the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on April 27, 2013. No official word has come from the promotion itself, but fans should expect to see the bout on part of the prelim card.
Garcia has lost four straight, and despite his popularity with UFC officials, the current climate of fighter cuts will certainly see him released by the top promotion should he lose. ‘Bad Boy’ was last in action this past December at UFC 155 in Vegas which saw him lose a close split decision to Max Holloway. The other three losses included defeats at the hands of Matt Grice, Nam Phan and Chan Sung Jung. His last win was against Phan by split decision at the TUF 12 Finale.
McKenzie is 1-3 in his last four Octagon appearances and is 1-1 in his last two. He too faces a release by the promotion with a loss. The ‘AK Kid’ was dropped with a body punch last July at UFC 148 by Chad Mendes, while picking up a win at UFC on FUEL TV 3 via guillotine choke against Marcus LeVesseur. The other two losses came via Vagner Rocha and Yves Edwards.