Steve Garcia feels 'disrespected' despite seven-fight win streak

Steve Garcia says he's being disrespected ahead of his biggest career fight this weekend.

The 34-year-old featherweight faces former two-time title challenger Diego Lopes in the opening bout of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Garcia carries a seven-fight win streak into the matchup, six of those by knockout, but told Ariel Helwani he still feels overlooked. "I do still feel disrespected. I do feel like people don't count me seriously, but I finally get a platform where I can go out there and continue to prove otherwise," Garcia said, per Sherdog. "I have seven knockouts in the UFC, eight wins... I've knocked out several guys, and, bro, I don't even have a Topps card."

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Garcia's knockout streak and White House opportunity

The New Mexico native pointed out that nearly every other fighter on the Freedom 250 card has received a Topps trading card — a detail he views as emblematic of the broader lack of recognition. Garcia added that opponents avoid calling him out for good reason. "It's gonna be one of the hardest fights you ever fight when I'm in there with you," he said.

Garcia's record stands at 19-5. Lopes, who has challenged for a title twice, enters at 27-8.

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UFC Freedom 250 takes place Sunday on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. The card is headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane meeting for the interim heavyweight strap in the co-main.

Photo: Karyn Bryant / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Original reporting:

• sherdog.com — Steve Garcia feels ‘disrespected’ ahead of UFC Freedom 250