Steve Garcia Meets Ranked Featherweight Diego Lopes in UFC White House Main-Card Opener

Steve Garcia is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes in a featherweight bout that opens the UFC White House main card on Sunday. Garcia enters the contest with a professional record of 19-5. Lopes arrives with a 27-8 mark and is ranked third in the UFC featherweight division.

Lopes is also listed 12th in Sherdog's official featherweight rankings. He carries a seven-fight winning streak that includes six finishes since 2022. Lopes has lost two UFC featherweight title fights to Alexander Volkanovski.

Between those bouts he defeated Jean Silva by stoppage. Garcia said the matchup places him in position to challenge for the title. "Having an opponent like Diego Lopes, knowing where his ranking is at.

Having the opportunity to fight someone that high, challenging myself, but also being able to put myself in a position where I could challenge for the title," he told Sherdog. Garcia added that he intends to control the fight from the first bell to the last. "I'm just gonna go out there and dominate him.

Dominate him from the start of the bell to the end of the bell," he said. He declined to outline specific tactics but warned viewers to pay close attention. "I don't care how I get it done; it just has to happen.

I'm not gonna give away [my plan], but don't blink; there's a reason why we're the first fight to open up the card," Garcia said.