Rafa Garcia says he expects to go to war with Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 116 at the UFC APEX on Saturday night in a fight between two lightweights who have had similar careers in the biggest promotion in the world.
“Excited as always. Obviously I like to go forward, go to war, I feel like I show that in every fight,” Garcia told reporters on Wednesday.
“Specially my last fight. I walk forward and I come to finish the fight.”
Garcia (18-4) Garcia (18-4) believes his cardio will be a key advantage in a matchup against another hard-hitting lightweight. He also credits his preparation at California’s Bloodline gym, surrounded by a deep roster of high-level fighters, as a major factor in positioning him for a victory on Saturday.
“More than anything else, my cardio, I believe will be a real weapon in this one. The idea is to walk forward and break him little by little,” he said.
“We have a lot of really good training partners (at Bloodline) such as Lerryan Douglas who just fought in Seattle. He helped me a lot, Richie Miranda as well the LFA champion, he helped me a lot this camp. Cub (Swanson) is very smart, I tell everyone, he’s the mastermind of every camp.”
Garcia made it clear he’s not approaching this fight with caution, but with the intent to impose his style from the opening bell. Confident in his pressure and finishing ability, the lightweight expects to dictate the pace and turn the bout into a battle.
“Expect a war. The Rafa that always comes forward to find the finish,” he said.
“I’m going to finish this fight.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Rafa Garcia above. He faces Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday night.
* Translated by Cageside Press
