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[Brutus]

Garcia wants Faber

By John Morgan/TAGG Radio Network

Less than 24 hours after Leonard Garcia’s (11-3) successful WEC debut, there is only one thought on his mind: getting back in the gym.

“Right now, I just called out one of the baddest dudes out there, so I got to get to work,” Garcia said.

After an impressive first-round TKO over Shooto and K-1 Hero’s veteran Hiroyuki Takaya (9-5-1), Garcia called out current WEC featherweight champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber (20-1) in his post-fight interview.

Garcia was a guest on Thursday’s edition of TAGG Radio (TAGG Radio Network - Home of TAGG Radio & The Lights Out Show!), a content partner of MMAjunkie.com (UFC News & Rumors - MMA News - UFC Fighters - UFC Event Recaps and Previews - MMAjunkie.com), and discussed the fight and his future plans.

“Urijah is a superstar, man,” Garcia said. “He just makes things up as he goes. I’m going to have to be ready for whatever he brings. So, it’s time to get back to work.“

Faber will likely next fight former UFC champion Jens Pulver, though a date for the bout hasn’t officially been announced. Regardless, with his own move to the WEC, Garcia said he feels confident after his drop from lightweight to featherweight, despite the win being his first fight at 145 lbs.

“It was a great cut for me,” Garcia said. “I was 149 (lbs.) when I woke up in the morning… It was real natural for me. I feel more athletic and a lot stronger at this weight. I think it was a great move for me.“

Garcia credits his excitement to return to the gym to his new affiliation with Jackson’s Submission Fighting in Albuquerque, N.M.

“Up until last year, I’ve never been to an MMA camp,” Garcia said. “This place has been a huge difference. I’m learning everything — submissions every day, guard passes. I’m still learning all these things. I’m still growing as a fighter.“

Garcia first caught many MMA fans’ eyes in two recent 15-minute wars in the UFC with lightweight contender Roger Huerta (20-1-1) and up-and-comer Cole Miller (13-3). But although those battles are memorable, Garcia said he prefers the type of quick finishes he displayed on Wednesday night.

“Any time you can end it early, that’s nice,” Garcia said. “Don’t get me wrong, I look back at the Roger Huerta fight, and I enjoy watching it. It’s one of those things that I enjoy being able to go to. But we’re fighters; we want to last long in this game. I don’t mind having a war if I have to, but if I can end it early, I definitely will. The sooner the better for me.“

No plans for a Garcia-Faber fight have been rumored yet, but that won’t stop Garcia from hitting the gym as soon as possible to begin the preparation.

“I don’t party or anything,” Garcia said. “I actually was going to go down there (Thursday) and do a little bit of drilling, but coach was telling me, ‘You need the weekend off.’ I’ll be back ready to go on Monday.“

Garcia looked good on Wednesday night but i think Faber is still ahead of him overall.

[pa99fighter]

I think he should have 1 more fight soon so so than he can get the winner of faber vs. pulver

he should be thinking about PULVER before he starts thinking about Faber...Jens would fuck that kid up imo

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by TriangleChoke

he should be thinking about PULVER before he starts thinking about Faber...Jens would fuck that kid up imo

I more than agree w/ that statement Triangle. jens is leap years ahead of this kid and if i'm not mistaken, i think Jens has the rights to Faber next. anyone know for sure??

[Bigshanks666]

I dont think Leonard is ready for Faber or Jens yet but I gotta say, I was very impressed with his performance in his last fight. He took a couple really hard punches and kept coming forward and finished the fight. I think after a few more fights he could be a real threat to the 145lb title.

I dont think its official and they havent set a date yet but I believe Jens is in line to fight Faber next.

Originally Posted by Hunchbacked Lemur

I more than agree w/ that statement Triangle. jens is leap years ahead of this kid and if i'm not mistaken, i think Jens has the rights to Faber next. anyone know for sure??

i know they were somewhat hyping a faber/pulver fight at the last wec show where pulver made his 145 lb return, but i dont know if anything is set in stone yet...imo it's the only fight that makes sense right now for the WEC FW division

edit: i REALLY wish the WEC could get some of the Japanese fighters at FW. If they could get Takeshi Inoue, Akitoshi Tamura, among others, the WEC FW division would be a LOT more interesting, and the beltholder could almost, with little argument, consider himself the best fw in the world

[Quintessential Studmuffin]

Regardless of who fights Faber next,this division just got a whole lot more interesting with Garcia in the mix.

I say give Pulver the title fight with Faber, then give Garcia one more fight,if he wins,give him a shot.

Id love to see Garcia/Faber someday. I think itd be a fuckin barn burner.

[smoogy]

Garcia vs. Yoshiro Maeda or Jeff Curran next would make a lot more sense

[jlruthven84]

Garcia looked great this past week, but he still needs one, maybe two more fights before he starts thinking about Faber.

If he gets by, say, Curran and another good FW, then I say have at it.

[peno]

I was thinking during the Garcia fight that a fight with Jens would be cool. I think Jens would kick his ass but Garcia's one tough dude so I think it would be a good fight. But ya, I'm pretty sure we're gonna see Pulver vs. Faber first.

I agree WEC needs to snag up some Japanese fighters. I'd hands down rather watch the lighter guys fight than the bigger guys. (Doug Marshall's a fucking joke. A KD? Idoit.) The BW and FW divs are easily WEC's greatest asset. I think Torres is the real deal and I'd love to see him fight top 10 competition. Faber vs. Kid Yamamoto? Thats what I'm talking about.