Rafa García (fighter)
| Rafa García | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rafael García Jr. August 5, 1994 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[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 | 17 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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.
Contents
Background
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.
Mixed martial arts career
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 injuredCarlos Diego Ferreira, on July 30, 2022 at UFC 277.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Personal life
García and his wife have a daughter (born 2019) and a son (born 2021), both born in Mexicali, Mexico.[2][17]
Championships and accomplishments
- Combate Americas
- Combate Americas Lightweight Championship (one time; first; former)
- One successful title defense
- Combate Americas Lightweight Championship (one time; first; former)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 14 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 5 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–3 | Drakkar Klose | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 277 | July 30, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 14–2 | 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 | 13–2 | Natan Levy | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate | November 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–2 | Chris Gruetzemacher | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland | July 31, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–1 | Nasrat Haqparast | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad | March 13, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–0 | Humberto Bandenay | Decision (unanimous) | Combate 55: Mexicali | February 21, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexicali, Mexico | Defended the Combate Americas Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 11–0 | Erick Gonzalez | Decision (unanimous) | Combate 44: Mexicali | September 20, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexicali, Mexico | Won the inaugural Combate Americas Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Estevan Payan | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Combate 39: Unbreakable | June 7, 2019 | 1 | 4:50 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Edgar Escarrega | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Combate 30: Mexicali | February 8, 2019 | 2 | 1:07 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
| Win | 8–0 | LaRue Burley | KO (punches) | Combate 24: Alday vs. Lopez | September 14, 2018 | 1 | 2:26 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Chase Gibson | Decision (majority) | Combate 20: Combate Estrellas 1 | April 13, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 6–0 | Marcos Bonilla | Submission (armbar) | Combate 17: El Grito En La Jaula | September 15, 2017 | 2 | 1:07 | Redlands, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Raúl Najera Ocampo | Submission (heel hook) | Combate 10 | January 19, 2017 | 1 | 1:04 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jovany Amador | Submission (armbar) | Warrior Championship Fighting 8 | December 3, 2016 | 1 | 3:21 | Mexicali, Mexico | |
| Win | 3–0 | Antonio Barajas | N/A | Fight for Glory 2 | August 1, 2015 | N/A | N/A | 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. |
See also
References
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External links
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- Rafa García on Instagram
