Tag: Leonard Garcia

Incredibly, Leonard Garcia Will Keep His Job, Despite Fourth-Straight Loss at UFC 155


(Eyes closed? Hands nowhere near his chin? Yep, that’s a man who has made his peace with getting punched in the mouth. / Photo via Tracy Lee)

UFC featherweight Leonard Garcia has had a rough last couple of years, going winless in 2011 and 2012, including his split-decision loss to Max Holloway this weekend on the UFC 155 prelims, but at least his new year won’t get immediately worse. UFC prez Dana White has promised that Garcia will not be cut from the organization’s roster, despite racking up his fourth-consecutive loss.

“There’s no way in hell we’re cutting Leonard Garcia,” White told assembled media after the fights on Saturday.

Garcia’s UFC job security cuts both ways. On the one hand, he’s a balls-to-the-wall fighter who is always exciting, if sloppy. A guts and glory fighter like Garcia is a promoter’s dream. He doesn’t have to be great to be marketable.

On the other hand, Garcia has only managed to win three times in his last eleven fights as a Zuffa fighter. Such a poor winning percentage in an active UFC fighter is an aberration, to say the least. Typically, even exciting fan favorites are cut loose after two or three consecutive losses and told to go put together a win streak on the regional circuits before they are brought back to the UFC.


(Eyes closed? Hands nowhere near his chin? Yep, that’s a man who has made his peace with getting punched in the mouth. / Photo via Tracy Lee)

UFC featherweight Leonard Garcia has had a rough last couple of years, going winless in 2011 and 2012, including his split-decision loss to Max Holloway this weekend on the UFC 155 prelims, but at least his new year won’t get immediately worse. UFC prez Dana White has promised that Garcia will not be cut from the organization’s roster, despite racking up his fourth-consecutive loss.

“There’s no way in hell we’re cutting Leonard Garcia,” White told assembled media after the fights on Saturday.

Garcia’s UFC job security cuts both ways. On the one hand, he’s a balls-to-the-wall fighter who is always exciting, if sloppy. A guts and glory fighter like Garcia is a promoter’s dream. He doesn’t have to be great to be marketable.

On the other hand, Garcia has only managed to win three times in his last eleven fights as a Zuffa fighter. Such a poor winning percentage in an active UFC fighter is an aberration, to say the least. Typically, even exciting fan favorites are cut loose after two or three consecutive losses and told to go put together a win streak on the regional circuits before they are brought back to the UFC.

Is it possible that, at some point, a UFC fighter who keeps losing reflects poorly on the organization’s status as the top MMA promotion in the world? Perhaps, but probably not. It’s a perception game. And we’re willing to bet that most MMA fans, hard core or casual, will be hard-pressed to see a substantial qualitative difference between a fighter like Garcia and one that he lost a close decision to, like Holloway, who is on a three-fight win streak and has only lost once in his pro career.

Additionally, it is difficult to get up in arms about the retention of the services of a fighter like Garcia, who gives it his all every fight against the best in the world, when we also express surprise and outrage when a fighter is cut seemingly too fast after just one or two losses.

That being said, Garcia has gone from losing to top contenders (Mark Hominick, Chan Sung Jung), to losing to tough veterans (Nam Phan, Matt Grice), to losing to green prospects like the 21-year-old Holloway. Garcia is not an elite featherweight, and it’s hard to even call him a gatekeeper at this point. His spot on the UFC roster comes at the expense of another featherweight, somewhere out there, who might deserve it more.

What do you think, nation? Is Garcia’s job security a good thing for the UFC and MMA or is it degrading the quality of their roster?

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 155 Results: What’s Next for Leonard Garcia?

Winning is really important. It keeps getting shown again and again. You can be a popular fighter, but if you string together one “L” after another, you are not going to stick around long in the UFC. Whether it’s Keith Jardine, Houston Ale…

Winning is really important. It keeps getting shown again and again.

You can be a popular fighter, but if you string together one “L” after another, you are not going to stick around long in the UFC. Whether it’s Keith Jardine, Houston Alexander, Efrain Escudero or Jason Miller, if you don’t get enough wins, you are not going to be kept around.

Some fan favorites, like Dan Hardy, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Wanderlei Silva, get a bit of leeway in this. Leonard Garcia is among that lot, having acquired quite a following with his exciting, fan-pleasing fighting style (in 15 fights in the UFC and WEC, he has six Fight of the Night bonuses and one knockout of the night).

Still, sitting at 1-4 in his last five, with that one win being his very controversial split-decision victory over Nam Phan, there could be no question that Garcia’s bout against Max Holloway was his last straw. Unless, of course, there was a controversial split decision.

That, obviously, is where we find ourselves now.

The fight itself was as exciting as one could have expected. Each round was wild, back-and-forth striking. Garcia threw his non-stop, looping haymakers. His opponent, Max Holloway, countered with his technically superior, pinpoint-accurate striking.

Garcia, for the first time ever, found himself on the bad end of a split decision. To the sound of some moderate booing, Garcia saw Holloway’s hand raised. Rogan said the decision was controversial, and the numbers slapped up after the third round seemed to agree.

Personally, I wasn’t especially surprised or dissatisfied with the decision. Garcia was the aggressor, no question, and he landed some good shots. Holloway, though, was far more accurate, and landed some excellent counters and probably landed more power shots throughout the fight.

So what, then, is next for Leonard Garcia?

Well, it ultimately comes down to what the fans (and Dana White) feel about the decision. If there is any real outcry in favor of Garcia, a rematch is almost a certainty.

Garcia is popular, and the fight was certainly exciting enough that few would complain about it happening again. It’s a perfect fight to stick at the beginning of a main card, whether pay-per-view, Fox or FX. Additionally, a compelling bout to draw attention to a near-certain future title contender in Holloway is never a bad idea.

If, however, most fans agree with me, this could be the end of Leonard Garcia’s UFC career. It seemed like that was the case back when Garcia lost to Matt Grice in June, and many found themselves scratching their heads when he was given another crack at it.

It becomes increasingly difficult to rationalize Garcia’s continued presence, given his 6-9-1 record under the Zuffa umbrella.

If he does get booted, Garcia is unlikely to stay unemployed for long. You have to expect either the World Series of Fighting, or Bellator FC, to pounce on him immediately, given his fan-pleasing style and name recognition.

Either way, Garcia is nowhere near done fighting right now. It may be, though, that he is finally done fighting for the UFC.

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Cody McKenzie, Karlos Vemola Out of UFC 155 With Injuries; Leonard Garcia and Chris Leben Get New Opponents [UPDATED]


(“Aw thanks bro, these chips are so clutch. Say, you’re not an undercover cop, are you?”/ Props: CombatLifestyle)

Already smacked down by injuries to Forrest Griffin, Chris Weidman, and Gray Maynard, December 29th’s once-epic UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 card just got hit with another pair of withdrawals, less than two weeks before showtime.

First up: Cody McKenzie, the affable guillotine-choker who got gut-shot KO’d by Chad Mendes in his last appearance in July, has pulled out of his preliminary card bout with Leonard Garcia due to an undisclosed training injury. The UFC is currently searching for a replacement opponent for Garcia, who is looking to rescue his career after losing his last three matches. We’ll update you if/when Bad Boy gets a new booking. Update: Garcia will be fighting Max Holloway, who has won his last two fights against Pat Schilling and Justin Lawrence.

Speaking of undisclosed injuries, Czech wrestler Karlos Vemola is out of his main card match against Chris Leben, and will be replaced by Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson. After winning his first nine pro fights, Brunson has dropped his last two, a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza and a decision loss to Kendall Grove. Leben vs. Brunson will remain on the UFC 155 main card, and will mark Leben’s first UFC appearance since his TKO loss to Mark Munoz in November 2011, and subsequent one-year suspension for oxycodone and oxymorphone. The Crippler is currently taking it one day at a time.

UFC 155’s bruised lineup is after the jump. Check it out, and ponder what could have been…


(“Aw thanks bro, these chips are so clutch. Say, you’re not an undercover cop, are you?”/ Props: CombatLifestyle)

Already smacked down by injuries to Forrest Griffin, Chris Weidman, and Gray Maynard, December 29th’s once-epic UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 card just got hit with another pair of withdrawals, less than two weeks before showtime.

First up: Cody McKenzie, the affable guillotine-choker who got gut-shot KO’d by Chad Mendes in his last appearance in July, has pulled out of his preliminary card bout with Leonard Garcia due to an undisclosed training injury. The UFC is currently searching for a replacement opponent for Garcia, who is looking to rescue his career after losing his last three matches. We’ll update you if/when Bad Boy gets a new booking. Update: Garcia will be fighting Max Holloway, who has won his last two fights against Pat Schilling and Justin Lawrence.

Speaking of undisclosed injuries, Czech wrestler Karlos Vemola is out of his main card match against Chris Leben, and will be replaced by Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson. After winning his first nine pro fights, Brunson has dropped his last two, a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza and a decision loss to Kendall Grove. Leben vs. Brunson will remain on the UFC 155 main card, and will mark Leben’s first UFC appearance since his TKO loss to Mark Munoz in November 2011, and subsequent one-year suspension for oxycodone and oxymorphone. The Crippler is currently taking it one day at a time.

UFC 155′s bruised lineup is after the jump. Check it out, and ponder what could have been…

MAIN CARD (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez (for HW title)
Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller (LW)
Tim Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou (MW)
Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher (MW)
Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson (MW)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner (LW; reported, but not officially confirmed)
Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland (BW)
Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth (BW)
Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury (LW)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
Philip De Fries vs. Todd Duffee (HW)
Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga (FlyW)

Loser Leaves Town Alert: Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie Booked for UFC 155


Clearly, there are zero inappropriate jokes to be made here.

In the territorial days of professional wrestling, the loser leaves town match was a way for wrestling promoters to wrap up a storyline when one of the wrestlers left his company for a rival promotion. Even though MMA is much different from professional wrestling, our sport still books these fights every so often. It isn’t exactly uncommon for the UFC to book fights between two not-quite-contenders, where the losers receive a pink slip and a call from Ray or Bjorn.

Case in point: The UFC announced yesterday that featherweights Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie will meet up at UFC 155. With both men being a combined 3-7 in their last ten fights (2-8 if you aren’t blind, deaf and dumb), and both coming off of less-than-impressive losses, the loser of this fight will almost certainly be spending time outside of the UFC.

On paper, Leonard Garcia is heading into this bout in worse condition than his opponent. Garcia has only won once in his last five fights, and that victory was a total bullshit decision over Nam Phan. The only thing that may save Garcia is the fact that he’s usually entertaining in defeat – his Zuffa career includes a total of five Fight of the Night awards, one Knockout of the Night and 2010’s Fight of the Year, a total bullshit victory over The Korean Zombie at WEC 48. Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, judges have an inexplicable love for the guy.


Clearly, there are zero inappropriate jokes to be made here.

In the territorial days of professional wrestling, the loser leaves town match was a way for wrestling promoters to wrap up a storyline when one of the wrestlers left his company for a rival promotion. Even though MMA is much different from professional wrestling, our sport still books these fights every so often. It isn’t exactly uncommon for the UFC to book fights between two not-quite-contenders, where the losers receive a pink slip and a call from Ray or Bjorn. 

Case in point: The UFC announced yesterday that featherweights Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie will meet up at UFC 155. With both men being a combined 3-7 in their last ten fights (2-8 if you aren’t blind, deaf and dumb), and both coming off of less-than-impressive losses, the loser of this fight will almost certainly be spending time outside of the UFC.

On paper, Leonard Garcia is heading into this bout in worse condition than his opponent. Garcia has only won once in his last five fights, and that victory was a total bullshit decision over Nam Phan. The only thing that may save Garcia is the fact that he’s usually entertaining in defeat – his Zuffa career includes a total of five Fight of the Night awards, one Knockout of the Night and 2010′s Fight of the Year, a total bullshit victory over The Korean Zombie at WEC 48. Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, judges have an inexplicable love for the guy.

In reality, Cody McKenzie is in worse standing with the UFC heading into this contest. The TUF alumnus has been a one-trick pony, using his McKenzietine to rack up victories. While this strategy works in the bush leagues – and even against the lower end of the UFC’s roster – it has been disastrous for him against legitimate competition. McKenzie may only be on a one fight skid, but he could not have possibly looked worse in his last outing. Cody McKenzie managed to do jack shit before Chad Mendes crumbled him with a body shot just thirty-one seconds into their fight. Another loss would put the former lightweight at 2-4, and demonstrate that he just isn’t UFC material.

Based on a completely scientific formula I just made up involving both fighters’ recent fights and the very nature of loser leaves town matches, you can expect this fight to be an epic striker-vs-grappler clash. For three rounds, expect Cody McKenzie to put on a grappling clinic against Leonard Garcia, powering his way through Garcia’s wild striking, while attempting the dreaded McKenzietine numerous times throughout the fight. Garcia will win this match 30-27 on all scorecards, and give a post-fight interview that mostly consists of him shrugging his shoulders. McKenzie will scream “I’LL BE BACK!” while Dana White has security drag him out of the arena.

At UFC 156, a masked featherweight will absolutely destroy some hapless jobber while Joe Rogan comments that nobody knows who this new guy is, but it’s crazy how much he physically resembles Cody McKenzie. The masked grappler will end the fight with a McKenzietine, and we will all smile, knowing that the guy under the mask is clearly Cody McKenzie. The new guy will demand a fight against Leonard Garcia, and Dana White will happily grant him that fight at UFC 157. The new guy will destroy Leonard Garcia, take off his mask, and reveal to us all that he is actually just some random featherweight that has thick chest hair. Our collective minds will be blown away by this.

So that’s our prediction for this fight. Call your bookie now and bet on all of that happening. Do it.

UFC 155: Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie Confirmed for December Card

Can Cody McKenzie submit Leonard Garcia with his trademark guillotine?That’s a question that’ll be answered at UFC 155, as both fighters will head to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a featherweight matchup on December 29…

Can Cody McKenzie submit Leonard Garcia with his trademark guillotine?

That’s a question that’ll be answered at UFC 155, as both fighters will head to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a featherweight matchup on December 29.

Recently confirmed on the official UFC Twitter feed, it’s unclear where on the schedule this bout will fall, as both the main and preliminary cards still have potential vacant slots for reported but unconfirmed fights.

Here’s where everything currently stands for the UFC’s final 2012 event:

UFC 155 Main Card

  • Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
  • Phil Davis vs. Forrest Griffin
  • Tim Boetsch vs. Chris Weidman
  • Joe Lauzon vs. Gray Maynard
  • Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami

UFC 155 Preliminary Card

  • Chris Leben vs. Karlos Vemola
  • Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland
  • Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury

Other Bouts

  • Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
  • Phil De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione
  • Byron Bloodworth vs. Erik Perez

McKenzie comes into the fight with a 2-3 record in his UFC career, riding three losses in his past four fights. Formerly a competitor at lightweight, McKenzie’s debut in the featherweight division ended quickly with a 31-second knockout loss to Chad Mendes.

Garcia is on a losing streak of his own, dropping three straight fights with a 1-3 UFC record after joining the promotion from the WEC merger. However, the Greg Jackson-trained fighter has notably racked up six post-fight bonuses since 2007 in the UFC and WEC—five “Fight of the Night” awards (two of them against Nam Phan) and a single “Knockout of the Night” award.

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UFC on FX 3 Results: What’s Next for Leonard Garcia?

Bad Boy Garcia. With two of his four UFC fights earning “Fight of the Night” honors, it’s no secret why he’s a fan favorite. He personifies the word “brawler.” He’s a 145-pound version of Wanderlei Silva.But with all of those things c…

Bad Boy Garcia. With two of his four UFC fights earning “Fight of the Night” honors, it’s no secret why he’s a fan favorite. He personifies the word “brawler.” He’s a 145-pound version of Wanderlei Silva.

But with all of those things come the bad. And sadly, as much as I enjoy watching him as a fighter, it’s time for him to retire. There’s very little doubt that he’ll get cut from the UFC, as he’s lost his last three fights, and an argument could be made that he’s lost his last six. As exciting as he is, he just doesn’t win anymore.

Combat sports may be the hardest to retire from, being that for most of these guys, they’re fighters at heart. Garcia seems to be one of those guys. You know when you see a Bad Boy Garcia fight that he’s going to come out swinging—literally. When the bell rings, it’s wild haymakers, spinning backfists, head-kick attempts and little regard for getting hit himself. This guy is a fighter.

What makes his style even more remarkable is the fact that he trains at Jackson’s MMA, which is notorious for game-planning for opponents and staying true to that game plan. You may see Bad Boy game-plan for the first minute, then once he gets hit, it’s all out the window. The switch is flipped and he’s coming after you.

He fights the way you should fight. Impose your will, and go out on your shield. Win or go home. Unfortunately for the Bad Boy, he hasn’t been winning lately.

So what’s next for one of my all-time favorite fighters? He should go home.

 

Follow on Twitter @montiqued

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