MIAMI – Steve Garcia’s toughness and tenacity proved to be his biggest traits in a comeback win over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke on Saturday at UFC 287.
Nuerdanbieke (39-11 MMA, 3-2 UFC) started the featherweight fight at Kaseya Center strong, hurting Garcia (14-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with big punches and having his opponent on the ropes. It would’ve been over against an opponent with less heart, but it wasn’t happening on this night.
Garcia stayed alive and turned the tables by rocking Nuerdanbieke multiple times late in the first round. He picked up where he left off on the second, landing a left body kick followed by a nasty show to the body that led to the knockout finish at the 0:36 mark of Round 2.
Check out the replay of Garcia’s handiwork below (via Twitter):
The body shot that ended it all 😳 #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/XtpIkzu1kx
— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2023
With back-to-back wins on his UFC record for the first time, Garcia hopes now is the start of something special in his career. He knows there were flaws in the octagon with Nuerdanbieke, but he showed his ability to turn the tide.
“He was a really tough opponent – he caught me at the very beginning,” Garcia said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “You’ve just got to recover. This is what we do. We train every single day for moments like this.”
"From the nose bleeds to making noses bleed"@MeanMachine505 pays tribute to @Stylebender on the night they fight on the same card #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/OHKIRTuErb
— UFC (@ufc) April 8, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
