By WASHINGTON – Is there a set-in-stone next UFC featherweight title challenger? Steve Garcia isn’t so sure.
Ahead of his UFC Freedom 250 bout Sunday at the White House, Garcia (19-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) didn’t rule out the possibility he could snatch an opportunity from the hands of default next-man-up Movsar Evloev should he make an impression vs. Diego Lopes.
“Why not? Why not?” Garcia told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference when asked if he could be next in line for the title. “I think how I beat Diego Lopes is going to be the big deciding factor. I know Movsar is like, ‘Oh, we’re just going to give him this guy.’ You know what? Let Sunday play out. Let Sunday play out, and I can make my move.”
So how does one beat Lopes (27-9 MMA, 6-3 UFC)? It’s not an easy task. Only champion Alexander Volkanovski and the aforementioned Evloev have been able to do the job thus far in the UFC. Neither were able to finish him.
“As we break everybody down, we definitely try to pick up on the tendencies and triggers and just different mindsets on who the opponent is that they’re fighting,” Garcia said. “He has a lot of tape, so you can kind of do that. I think at this level, a lot of us do. I think that me and Diego Lopes are going to set the tone and get it off right.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC White House fighter sees title shot for the taking on big stage
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