Rafa García vs Maheshate

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	59 of 169	34%	79 of 194	4 of 7	57%	0	0	1:50
Alexander Hernandez	0	50 of 145	34%	54 of 149	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:00

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	0	10 of 40	25%	15 of 45	2 of 2	100%	0	0:28
Alexander Hernandez	0	8 of 27	29%	8 of 27	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
2	Rafa García	0	20 of 66	30%	20 of 66	0 of 1	0%	0	0:10
Alexander Hernandez	0	18 of 38	47%	18 of 38	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
3	Rafa García	0	29 of 63	46%	44 of 83	2 of 4	50%	0	1:12
Alexander Hernandez	0	24 of 80	30%	28 of 84	0 of 0	---	0	0:00

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	59 of 169	34%	52 of 161	1 of 2	6 of 6	57 of 165	2 of 3	0 of 1
Alexander Hernandez	50 of 145	34%	40 of 126	9 of 14	1 of 5	50 of 145	0 of 0	0 of 0

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	10 of 40	25%	6 of 36	0 of 0	4 of 4	10 of 39	0 of 0	0 of 1
Alexander Hernandez	8 of 27	29%	5 of 20	3 of 4	0 of 3	8 of 27	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	20 of 66	30%	19 of 65	0 of 0	1 of 1	19 of 65	1 of 1	0 of 0
Alexander Hernandez	18 of 38	47%	14 of 32	3 of 4	1 of 2	18 of 38	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	29 of 63	46%	27 of 60	1 of 2	1 of 1	28 of 61	1 of 2	0 of 0
Alexander Hernandez	24 of 80	30%	21 of 74	3 of 6	0 of 0	24 of 80	0 of 0	0 of 0

Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Hernandez (-145); Garcia (+120)

Round 1
Going forward, the last six athletes tonight hoist UFC records above .500. Even with a defeat, any one of the losing parties will not fall to that threshold either. Garcia (18-4, 6-4 UFC) has seen some serious success as of late, winning four of five including a knockout of Jared Gordon in his last time out. Hernandez (18-8, 10-7 UFC) finally gets to fight again after a UFC 324 match against Michael Johnson was nixed due to extreme betting irregularities. Referee Kerry Hatley will stand vigilant while the lightweights engage in sanctioned fisticuffs, with the two athletes not bothering to bump fists first.
They engage in some early jabbery and pokery, with Garcia looking to follow his ones with right hands. He scores one to drive Hernandez back a few steps, reddening the Texan’s nose immediately. Garcia nails the front leg with a kick so hard that Hernandez has to recoil it behind his other leg, and he circles on the outer edge looking for a way in. Garcia plans a kick on the front leg again while Hernandez is about to engage, shutting that attack down. Hernandez steps in with a knee to the body, getting it off just before Garcia can hit him with his overhand right. Garcia bounces and works his way forward, staying away from Hernandez’ kicks as he jabs straight ahead. Garcia wings a short left hook that brushes the chin, putting “The Great Ape” on notice.
Hernandez shadowboxes on the outside edge, unable to get close, while Garcia can seemingly close the distance at will. Garcia plans a kick on the inside calf, and Hernandez gives him back a loud body kick to think about. Garcia plods forward using a tight, high guard, keeping Hernandez to largely single strikes. Garcia stings his opponent and sees an opening to drop down to his knees to get hold a double, and he tosses Hernandez down for a second. Hernandez climbs back up, and Garcia elevates him with a high-crotch lift and slams him down with gravitas. Hernandez appears no worse for wear as both men gets back to their feet without issue, but it is Garcia who continues to press the action. Hernandez comes up short on his winging punches, but a left hand brushes open a cut on Garcia’s left eye. Hernandez is shoved to his knees, and he eats a few shots before the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 2
Picking up right where he left off, Garcia is the pressure fighter. He works his way in to drive a left hand down the middle, drawing a thin trickle of blood from his foe’s left nostril. Hernandez keeps his wits about him as Garcia plods towards him, but the volume from Garcia has diminished to a degree. Garcia walks his man down to put three fists on the face, and he chases but does not cut off “The Great Ape” as he stays right in front of him. Hernandez has to desperately scramble from side to side to get away, and the accuracy of Garcia is something to behold as Hernandez appears shocked when he gets caught repeatedly.
Hernandez tries to back Garcia off with a head kick, but Garcia blocks it and flashes a devilish grin. Garcia counters a front kick with a right hand down the pipe, snapping the head back and forcing Hernandez to circle rapidly to his right away from the power. The fists of Garcia have quickly transformed Hernandez’ visage into a bloody mess, while Garcia’s light wound on his eyebrow opens up again during a fierce but brief exchange. Garcia wades forward, stops, winds up and throws, and he tags Hernandez flush. He changes levels to break things up, and Hernandez keeps to his feet and backs off. Garcia jabs him up and starts talking to him as the round ends, with both men getting into the other’s face. Hatley has to separate them and usher them back to their respective corners.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 3
Garcia does not stay seated in his corner long enough to get his eye cut sealed, as he is amped up and ready to throw hands. He does exactly that when the third round kicks off, stepping right into the pocket to throw hammers. Hernandez has to inevitably retreat due to the pressure, so Garcia does not let him off the hook. Garcia throws everything and the kitchen sink, and Hernandez’ chin is granite but as it starts to fade, he starts to engage less and circle more. With Hernandez backpedaling, Garcia rushes after him and pursues a takedown.
Hernandez stands him up with his back to the fence, keeping his balance as blood leaks from his nose. Garcia elevates and dumps Hernandez down, and when Hernandez stands, Garcia belts him with a sharp combination. Hernandez throws back no matter the position, but Garcia is unafraid of the return offerings. Hernandez starts to pick things up, almost certainly down on the scorecards, and he manages to back Garcia up after landing cleanly a few times. The fighters duke it out one after the other, with big damage developing around Hernandez’ left eye. No one cares about damage or blood or anything, engaging in an absolutely rip-roaring slugfest for the remainder of the round. Damage was inflicted aplenty in their 15-minute engagement, and the fighters squash any inkling of a beef right after the final horn blares.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (30-27 Garcia)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez (29-28 Garcia)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Hernandez (29-28 Garcia)

The Official Result
Rafa Garcia def. Alexander Hernandez via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Apr 19, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Alexander Hernandez

Angelo picks Alexander Hernandez as the better fighter, citing his explosiveness, speed, cardio, and power. He notes that Hernandez is on a four-fight win streak with back-to-back knockouts. He acknowledges that Rafa García is the better straight wrestler, but believes Hernandez scrambles well and has good cardio. He expresses concern that Hernandez needs to pull the trigger and not be outworked.

"Alexander Hernandez is the better fighter, so he's the pick. I just need him to actually pull the trigger."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Apr 21, 2026 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

Big Brady picks Rafa García over Alexander Hernandez. He sees advantages for García in boxing volume, wrestling, durability, and cardio. He expects a close fight but believes García's pace and cardio will be key, predicting a split decision win.

García wins by decision

"I'm going to take Garcia Garcia by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Diary of a Pro Gambler Expert Confident picked Apr 25, 2026 (fight day)

Rafa García

The host thinks Garcia is the better fighter but had a poor last performance. He expects a stand-up fight where Garcia can pressure Hernandez and test his gas tank. He notes Hernandez slows down and Garcia is durable, having been finished only once. He will bet Garcia +3.5 because Garcia is very likely to win the third round, and the fight likely goes to decision.

Garcia +3.5 rounds; fight likely goes to decision; great for live betting

"I will be betting Rafa Garcia plus 3.5 just because... I think it's very very very very very likely Garcia will win the third round."

Diary of a Pro Gambler

Lucrative James Expert Lean picked Apr 19, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Alexander Hernandez

James picks Alexander Hernandez, citing his athleticism and power advantage. He expects Hernandez to win the first two rounds and possibly fade in the third, but still outwork Garcia. He notes Garcia's toughness but believes Hernandez's level is higher.

"I like Alexander Hernandez in this one. I think he's going to get it done."

Lucrative MMA

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Apr 21, 2026 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

Garcia is on a two-fight winning streak with good durability and volume striking. Hernandez has a four-fight winning streak but relies on power and wrestling, and he has a questionable gas tank. Garcia should be able to stuff takedowns, outwork Hernandez on the feet, and pull away in the later rounds to win a decision.

"I think we'll see Garcia shuck off the takedowns of Hernandez or at least showcase enough resistance there that Hernandez can't grind out rounds. And then on the feet, I think Garcia has good enough uh durability that he should …"

MMA Lock of the Night

WIN vs Jared Gordon

KO R3 2:27 · UFC Fight Night: Lopes vs. Silva · Sep 13, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	1	91 of 162	56%	107 of 179	2 of 3	66%	2	1	2:01
Jared Gordon	0	65 of 186	34%	80 of 201	1 of 3	33%	0	0	0:09

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	0	22 of 41	53%	23 of 42	1 of 1	100%	0	0	0:24
1	Jared Gordon	0	23 of 64	35%	24 of 65	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:00
2	Rafa García	0	33 of 61	54%	48 of 77	1 of 2	50%	1	1	1:12
2	Jared Gordon	0	31 of 86	36%	45 of 100	1 of 1	100%	0	0	0:09
3	Rafa García	1	36 of 60	60%	36 of 60	0 of 0	---	1	0	0:25
3	Jared Gordon	0	11 of 36	30%	11 of 36	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	91 of 162	56%	74 of 144	7 of 7	10 of 11	70 of 137	10 of 11	11 of 14
Jared Gordon	65 of 186	34%	55 of 171	8 of 13	2 of 2	65 of 186	0 of 0	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	22 of 41	53%	15 of 33	2 of 2	5 of 6	20 of 39	2 of 2	0 of 0
1	Jared Gordon	23 of 64	35%	16 of 55	5 of 7	2 of 2	23 of 64	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	33 of 61	54%	26 of 54	3 of 3	4 of 4	27 of 55	6 of 6	0 of 0
2	Jared Gordon	31 of 86	36%	29 of 82	2 of 4	0 of 0	31 of 86	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	36 of 60	60%	33 of 57	2 of 2	1 of 1	23 of 43	2 of 3	11 of 14
3	Jared Gordon	11 of 36	30%	10 of 34	1 of 2	0 of 0	11 of 36	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Rafa Garcia vs. Jared Gordon
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gordon (-240); Garcia (+200)

Round 1
Kerry Hatley is the referee. Garcia opens with a low kick. Gordon steps in and lands a left. Gordon crashes forward and they exchange. Garcia fires right back. They trade leg kicks but Garcia is more impactful. Gordon probes with a lead hook and a jab. He follows up with a 1-2. A straight right connects for Garcia. A hard leg kick lands for Garcia. A short right by Garcia buckles Gordon’s knees momentarily, but he’s still in the fight. Gordon lands a body kick and then a striaght right. Garcia catches a kick and tags his foe with a right. Gordon stumbles to the floor but pops right back up. Garcia is hunting for that right and finds the range on another one. A stiff jab backs Gordon up. Gordon sticks a jab of his own. A counter right by Gordon makes an impact. He strings some punches together to back Garcia up. As Gordon gains momentum, Garcia changes levels and gets a takedown. Gordon gets to the fence and stands. They stay in the clinch, and Garcia lands a left on the break. Gordon lands a left hook before the end of the period.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Gordon
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Gordon
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Gordon

Round 2
Garcia makes Gordon stumble backward with a left at the outset. They’re trading and Gordon gets the better of it. Garcia jumps a guillotine and then rolls into mount. Gordon gets out of it and now must defend Garcia from his back. Gordon moves to the fence and works his way up. Garcia tries to drag Gordon down but it’s unsuccessful. They get back to boxing in the center of the cage. Plent of shots are landing. Gordon has Garcia covering up after landing a couple big rights. Garcia clinches and lands some uppercuts in close. Gordon jabs and then touches his foe with a right. Garcia with a stiff jab, but a counter left hook by Gordon has Garcia backing up. They’re trading in the pocket, but Gordon is landing combinations with more volume. However, Garcia cuts his opponent with an elbow. Gordon with a front kick down the middle. Garcia stumbles after eating a left hook. Garcia with a hard elbow in close quarters late and concludes the round with a takedown as time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Mike Pendleton scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 3
Garcia opens with a 1-2. He follows with an inside leg kick. Gordon responds with a combination in the pocket. They clinch and Garcia lands a couple of slashing elbows. Gordon pumps his jab. A left hook from Garcia stops Gordon. A heavy 1-2 finds the mark for Garcia, who then rips the body. GArcia is upping the volume as Gordon seems to be slowing. A right by Gordon lands on the side of the head, but Garcia is still attacking. Garcia rips the body with a left. A clean short right to the chin sends Gordon tumbling to the floor. Garcia tees off with punches on his reeling opponent before locking in a modified rear-naked choke. It’s pretty tight, but
he gives up on the submission to pummel Gordon with elbows from top position. He batters a bloodied Gordon with several more elbows before Hatley intervenes.
It’s a violent finish and just Garcia’s second career win via KO or TKO.

The Official Result
Rafa Gacia def. Jared Gordon via TKO (Elbows) R3 2:27

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Sep 7, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

Angelo picks Jared Gordon, calling him the better overall fighter and more well-rounded. He notes Gordon is a good wrestler with high volume striking, tough and busy. He says he has seen Rafa Garcia get decisions that weren't his, and Jared Gordon not get decisions that should have been his. He is surprised to see Gordon as a 3-to-1 favorite. He suggests Rafa Garcia plus 3.5 as a possible bet.

Rafa Garcia plus three and a half might be the best bet here.

"I am going to pick Jared Gordon here. I have seen with my own eyes Rafa Garcia get decisions that weren't his."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Sep 11, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

Big Brady picks Gordon due to his pace, volume, and recent power. He worries about corrupt judges but expects Gordon to win a decision. He notes Garcia is tough and has only been knocked out by Grant Dawson, so a finish is unlikely.

Decision win; not in love with the price

"Give me Gordon here. Not in love with the price tag to be honest, but I think he wins the fight and wins it by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Sep 11, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

Connor picks Jared Gordon, emphasizing Gordon's technical boxing and ability to impose his game plan. He notes that García's loss to Chris Gruetzemacher shows he can be outworked, and Gordon is a more dangerous fighter than Gruetzemacher. Connor believes Gordon's pressure and sharper striking will overcome García's durability and lack of strategy.

"I think that Gordon can repeat that kind of success because he's a much more dangerous fighter than Chris Gruetzemacher was."

MMA Vivisection

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Sep 10, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

Gordon is a big fan favorite and the host believes Garcia's lack of knockout threat allows Gordon to dictate the pace. He expects Gordon to stay on the gas, put Garcia against the cage, land takedowns, and win on the scorecards.

"I think this is a matchup where the lack of knockout threat from Rafa Garcia will allow Gordon to dictate the pace of this fight. Look for him to stay on the gas, put Garcia up against the cage, maybe …"

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Sep 10, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

The MMA Guru picks Jared Gordon, calling him the most underrated lightweight on the roster. He argues Gordon's boxing is superior to Garcia's and that Garcia lacks power. He criticizes Garcia's wins as unimpressive and believes Gordon should be a bigger favorite. He predicts a dominant performance with a TKO in the late second round, possibly including a 10-8 round.

TKO late second round

"I'm going with Jared Gordon, the most underrated lightweight on the roster. ... I'm going to say Jared Gordon gets this one done by a TKO in the first or second round."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Sep 11, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Jared Gordon

Zane picks Jared Gordon, citing Gordon's improved boxing form and power, which should allow him to land the bigger shots. He notes that García is durable but lacks power and a strategic approach, often floating through fights. Zane believes Gordon's consistent pressure and sharper striking will win a three-round war, as García's lack of imposition makes him vulnerable.

"I think I have to pick Jared Gordon in that kind of fight. He is likely to land the bigger shots."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Vinc Pichel

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Erceg · Mar 29, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	64 of 120	53%	76 of 136	2 of 6	33%	0	0	2:15
Vinc Pichel	0	79 of 182	43%	88 of 191	0 of 3	0%	0	0	0:01

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	12 of 24	50%	19 of 33	1 of 2	50%	1:06
1	Vinc Pichel	13 of 38	34%	21 of 46	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Rafa García	21 of 49	42%	24 of 52	0 of 2	0%	0:23
2	Vinc Pichel	32 of 70	45%	32 of 70	0 of 1	0%	0:00
3	Rafa García	31 of 47	65%	33 of 51	1 of 2	50%	0:46
3	Vinc Pichel	34 of 74	45%	35 of 75	0 of 2	0%	0:01

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	64 of 120	53%	49 of 102	12 of 14	3 of 4	59 of 114	4 of 5	1 of 1
Vinc Pichel	79 of 182	43%	32 of 116	27 of 43	20 of 23	74 of 174	4 of 7	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	12 of 24	50%	7 of 17	3 of 4	2 of 3	11 of 23	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Vinc Pichel	13 of 38	34%	7 of 30	2 of 3	4 of 5	12 of 36	0 of 1	1 of 1
2	Rafa García	21 of 49	42%	16 of 44	4 of 4	1 of 1	21 of 49	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Vinc Pichel	32 of 70	45%	12 of 43	13 of 19	7 of 8	29 of 67	3 of 3	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	31 of 47	65%	26 of 41	5 of 6	0 of 0	27 of 42	3 of 4	1 of 1
3	Vinc Pichel	34 of 74	45%	13 of 43	12 of 21	9 of 10	33 of 71	1 of 3	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Rafa Garcia vs. Vinc Pichel
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Garcia (-485), Pichel (+370)

Round 1
Twelve years separate the next two competitors, with the younger man a heavy betting favorite. Garcia (16-4, 4-4 UFC) gets a huge pop from the crowd as the first Mexican-born athlete to hit the stage today, while the leisurely paced Pichel (14-4, 7-4 UFC) is showered in boos. The lightweights with a fairly similar amount of combat experience touch gloves before referee Raul Porrata. Pichel keeps his distance early, parrying any incoming fire and letting the energy in favor of Garcia wash over them both. Garcia breaks the silence with a huge overhand right and rips a left to the liver. Pichel responds with a left hook that makes the Mexican fighter back off for a moment, and Garcia measures him with a thudding right hand that makes Pichel have to blink it out repeatedly. Garcia crowds him with a pair of hooks, and he swats away a head kick. Garcia crashes through a low kick to hurl punches, and Pichel keeps a wide berth and stabs out a front kick. Garcia comes up short with haymakers, allowing the elder Pichel to potshot him from a safe distance. When Pichel kicks low, Garcia wings a right hand over the top. Pichel fires back with a vengeance, and Garcia shrugs it off and stays close in front of him but not too close. Garcia scores a single low kick and is jabbed back, and he raises his guard in the nick of time to block an overhand right. Garcia swings wide to the body, forcing Pichel to ricochet off the wall, and he hammers the front leg with a kick. Pichel loads up with a body kick, and Garcia smiles at him and continues to crowd him. Garcia pushes a front kick out of the way to crowd the older fighter, pressing him against the wall while stomping on his toes. Garcia lifts Pichel’s legs up and is about to deposit him to the ground, but Pichel regains his balance. Perhaps in a poor bit of decisionmaking, Pichel spins for a back elbow while tightly pressed to his foe, and this allows Garcia to hit a clean double on him. Garcia rides out the round on top.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 2
The athletes get right back down to business, trading leather early and often. Pichel sneaks in a right hand and slips to the side, and he dips to fire off an uppercut and jogs away to reset. Pichel’s stance switches and awkward movement prevents Garcia from blitzing him on the regular, and he keeps his head on a swivel to not get caught with anything flush. Garcia nevertheless walks him down and blasts him in the face with a crisp right hand, and then chains two more fists behind it. Pichel flashes out his jab, pop pop bang, to keep Garcia from going at him. Pichel pushes off while trying to push his foe’s arm out of the way, and his thumb slides deep into Garcia’s eye socket. Pichel immediately apologizes before Porrata gets between them, and he gives Garcia all the time he needs to recover. Garcia takes it, accepts Pichel’s fervent apology and gets back to walking the aging fighter down. Pichel uses his knee to frame off, and he strings a few punches together behind it. Pichel tosses up a head kick that is blocked in time, and he probes out a right hand before getting his head snapped back with a one-two. Pichel tries to jump his way forward, and he pushes off Garcia’s face and slams his shin on Garcia’s calf. Garcia grimaces and wraps Pichel up in hopes of taking him down. Pichel leans against the wall to keep himself upright, and he postures off and breaks free, where he puts punches and kicks together in rapid succession. Pichel fakes to the body to open up a head shot, and Garcia can only swing big right hands back at him. A few of those get through, and Pichel beans him with a counter overhand right to make him think twice about entering the pocket with his hands low. Pichel comes up swinging with a huge uppercut, and he hand-fights to parry most of the blows aimed at him. Pichel jabs to the head and body, and he splits the guard with a front kick, toes extended towards the target. Garcia lumbers forward swinging heavy leather, and Pichel skirts to the slide and flicks out a few low kicks to end the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pichel
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pichel
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Pichel

Round 3
Pichel is fired up to start up the last round, and he channels that energy with frenetic punches and kicks that stop Garcia from getting through to him. Pichel strings a few punches together up top, and Garcia clutches his eye as if he was poked. Pichel claims it was a closed fist that did the damage, and he unloads with flying fists until Garcia steels himself and comes back out swinging. Pichel counters the flailing strikes, but he is taking shots to the body and taking heavy breaths. Garcia continues to put everything behind every one of his swings, while Pichel is more than content to jab and prod. When Garcia looks to charge, Pichel pushes him back with jabs and front kicks, but Garcia decides to pour it on and tags Pichel a few times. Pichel rebounds off the fencing and uses his push kick to redden up Garcia’s midsection. Pichel probers out with straight punches until getting tagged, and he starts swinging back with arc on his punches when not mixing in his front kick. Pichel further keeps things interesting by shooting for a takedown, and Garcia just stands before him and smiles at him. A Pichel front kick bumps the cup, and Garcia wants to keep going so it goes uncalled. Pichel loads up on body kicks and walks through three left hands, kicking Garcia constantly while keeping his distance. The leg kicks to the thigh and calf keep landing for “From Hell,” until Garcia is sick of taking them and just lifts Pichel up and deposits him down to the mat like a sack of potatoes. Pichel scoots his way towards the wall in hopes of walking up it, while Garcia tries to smother him and threaten with an arm-triangle choke. Pichel turns to his knees and stands, and Garcia slugs him in the face with numerous unanswered right hands. Pichel frees himself with seconds to go, and he lets Garcia have it with all his remaining energy. Punches, kicks and knees fly every which way until the final horn blares, signaling an end to what turned into an entertaining scrap.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (29-28 Garcia)

The Official Result
Rafa Garcia def. Vinc Pichel via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Mar 27, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Connor picks García, noting his high-output, new-school wrestle-boxing style will overwhelm the aging Pichel. He acknowledges Pichel's toughness and low kicks as potential wrinkles but believes García's pace and boxing will be too much. He is surprised by the wide odds, given García's loss to Chris Gruetzemacher.

"I think Garcia is tailor made to outwork and overwhelm Pichel. Pichel is slow enough that he just doesn't get to do a lot of the stuff he wants to do anymore."

MMA Vivisection

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Mar 27, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Zane picks García, agreeing that his pace and pressure will be decisive. He notes Pichel's old-school style and lack of speed, comparing him to an aged Jan Błachowicz. Zane thinks García's boxing and wrestling defense are solid, and that Pichel's low kicks are a minor threat.

"I think Garcia is tailor made to outwork and overwhelm Pichel."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Grant Dawson

TKO (elbows and punches) R2 1:42 · UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira · Oct 12, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Grant Dawson	0	44 of 90	48%	80 of 144	2 of 4	50%	0	0	5:09
Rafa García	0	5 of 12	41%	29 of 38	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Grant Dawson	20 of 52	38%	41 of 87	1 of 3	33%	3:50
1	Rafa García	4 of 10	40%	27 of 34	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Grant Dawson	24 of 38	63%	39 of 57	1 of 1	100%	1:19
2	Rafa García	1 of 2	50%	2 of 4	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Grant Dawson	44 of 90	48%	38 of 76	4 of 12	2 of 2	5 of 24	0 of 0	39 of 66
Rafa García	5 of 12	41%	4 of 8	1 of 4	0 of 0	4 of 11	1 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Grant Dawson	20 of 52	38%	16 of 42	3 of 9	1 of 1	2 of 17	0 of 0	18 of 35
1	Rafa García	4 of 10	40%	3 of 6	1 of 4	0 of 0	3 of 9	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Grant Dawson	24 of 38	63%	22 of 34	1 of 3	1 of 1	3 of 7	0 of 0	21 of 31
2	Rafa García	1 of 2	50%	1 of 2	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 2	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Grant Dawson vs. Rafa Garcia
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Dawson (-395), Garcia (+310)

Round 1
Moving right along, lightweight contender Dawson (21-2-1, 9-1-1 UFC) needs this next opportunity to put together a win streak. To do so, he will need to get past Mexico’s Garcia (16-3, 4-3 UFC), who will not make it easy on him. Referee Chris Tognoni checks in as the cage commander for this 155-pound contest, and it kicks off with a glove touch. Garcia crouches several times early, expecting to have to defend against a level change. Dawson meets one of those with a front kick, and Garcia just barely dodges it. Garcia avoids another jabbing kick to throw out a one-two to the body. Dawson sticks him with a jab and uses another front kick, and he parries an overhand right. Dawson gets knocked off-balance with a right hand, and he gathers himself and spins with a wheel kick. Garcia walks forward slinging hands, and Dawson answers a solid right hand with a single-leg entry that plants “Gifted” on his knee. Dawson hits a mat return when Garcia powers his way back up, and this time he has Garcia flat on his back. Dawson opens with ground-and-pound and is answered some from Garcia, and Garcia’s hit the back of his foe’s head as Tognoni asks him not to land fouls. Dawson sits up to hammer Garcia with two big punches, an elbow and some other ground strikes to disguise his guard pass to half guard. Dawson stays busy with smothering top control and active offense, getting hard shots in when not attempting to advance position. Dawson gets pushed back for a moment, and he bowls Garcia back over with elbows. “KGD” shifts from one side to the other to pass the guard, and he pounds down with strikes. Garcia kicks him off to gain a bit of space, only for Dawson to swarm him with standing-to-ground punches. Garcia scrambles madly until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Dawson
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Dawson

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to get going, and Dawson is eager to kick things off by kicking four times with four different types of kicks. His spin kick finds its home, and he uses that to get in close, swing an overhand right and duck low to secure an easy takedown less than 30 seconds into the round. Dawson finds openings and attacks with hammerfists or elbows, and he takes a chunk out of Garcia’s forehead with a Friday the 13th-insired slashing elbow. Blood sprays from the Mexican’s head as he turns to his knees, and Dawson further beats on him with a barrage of punches.
Sitting proudly in mount, “KGD” unleashes a mighty barrage of punches and elbows, clubbing Garcia as Tognoni asks Garcia to fight back. Dawson knows the finish is around the corner, with Garcia bloodied and bruised, and he finishes the job with a final salvo of punches. Tognoni has no choice to step in
, and the American Top Team contender notches his first knockout in nearly three years. In victory, Dawson becomes the first fighter to ever stop the durable man from Mexican.

The Official Result
Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia R2 1:42 via TKO (Elbows and Punches)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Oct 6, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

Angelo picks Grant Dawson despite disliking his fighting style. He notes that Dawson's wrestling and control are reliable, and that Rafa García tends to gas. Angelo acknowledges Dawson's knockout loss to Bobby Green but believes Dawson will win by grinding out a decision. He calls Dawson a reliable bettor's fighter.

"Grant Dawson probably wins this fight... he's somebody that you can rely on."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Oct 10, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

Big Brady picks Grant Dawson to win by third-round submission. He considers Dawson a top-15 lightweight with top-10 upside, and believes he is on another level compared to Garcia. He praises Dawson's wrestling and grappling, citing his submission of Jared Gordon and dominant win over Damir Ismagulov. He expects Dawson to get takedowns, wear on Garcia, and eventually find a submission in the second or third round. He thinks Garcia is solid but outmatched.

Dawson by third-round submission

"give me Dawson here you give me Dawson to win this fight by third round submission"

DFS by the Numbers

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Oct 10, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

Connor agrees with Zane, emphasizing that Garcia's game is subtractive but not potent enough to stop Dawson's relentless wrestling. He notes that Garcia's wins over wrestlers like Clay Guida are not indicative because Guida is washed. Connor believes Dawson's suffocating style will eventually get the takedown and control the fight.

Same odds commentary.

"Dawson really insists on a suffocating wrestle grappling game and it's really hard to just take that away when you're not doing something that is killing him."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Vreeland Expert Hesitant picked Oct 8, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

Daniel admits he dislikes Dawson's style and believes his striking is elementary, but he respects Dawson's grappling and top control. He notes that Rafa García has decent takedown defense but thinks Dawson will likely grind out a boring decision. Daniel hopes García stuffs takedowns and wins, but his head says Dawson's wrestling will be the difference.

"All emotions and biases aside, then Grant Dawson probably grinds two of the three rounds out and we hate ourselves for watching the fight."

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Oct 11, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Grant Dawson

Dawson does not care to entertain but gets wins. He will do what he did to Joe Solecki last time. Garcia may stop the first couple takedowns, but Dawson's great gas tank will wear on Garcia, allowing Dawson to win a classic Dawson decision.

"Dawson has a great gas tank and I think that will eventually wear on Garcia allowing Dawson to pull off a classic Dawson decision"

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Oct 8, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

The MMA Guru picks Grant Dawson, citing his phenomenal grappling and talent advantage over Rafa García, who he says has no finishing potential. He notes Dawson's suspect chin and poor stand-up but believes his grappling will easily outclass García. He also mentions Dawson's momentum coming off a win and training with Makhachev.

"I'm going to go Grant Dawson... his grappling is phenomenal and really good and there is Talent there"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Oct 10, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Grant Dawson

Zane picks Dawson because Garcia's anti-wrestling is based on defense and he isn't dangerous enough to keep Dawson off him. He notes that Garcia's best chance is to stuff takedowns early and tire Dawson, but Dawson often wins even after gassing. Zane thinks Garcia's lack of finishing ability means he can't overcome Dawson's pressure.

Dawson opened at -373, now -410; Garcia opened at +304, now +328.

"I gotta pick grant dawson. Unfortunately."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Clay Guida

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen · Apr 15, 2023

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	63 of 252	25%	63 of 252	0 of 3	0%	0	0	0:00
Clay Guida	0	141 of 287	49%	143 of 289	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:20

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	23 of 92	25%	23 of 92	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Clay Guida	34 of 89	38%	34 of 89	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Rafa García	21 of 88	23%	21 of 88	0 of 1	0%	0:00
2	Clay Guida	65 of 110	59%	65 of 110	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Rafa García	19 of 72	26%	19 of 72	0 of 2	0%	0:00
3	Clay Guida	42 of 88	47%	44 of 90	0 of 1	0%	0:20

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	63 of 252	25%	49 of 227	4 of 12	10 of 13	63 of 252	0 of 0	0 of 0
Clay Guida	141 of 287	49%	130 of 269	5 of 12	6 of 6	138 of 284	3 of 3	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	23 of 92	25%	16 of 82	2 of 4	5 of 6	23 of 92	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Clay Guida	34 of 89	38%	29 of 81	1 of 4	4 of 4	34 of 89	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	21 of 88	23%	17 of 80	1 of 4	3 of 4	21 of 88	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Clay Guida	65 of 110	59%	63 of 107	2 of 3	0 of 0	62 of 107	3 of 3	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	19 of 72	26%	16 of 65	1 of 4	2 of 3	19 of 72	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Clay Guida	42 of 88	47%	38 of 81	2 of 5	2 of 2	42 of 88	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Rafa Garcia vs. Clay Guida
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Garcia (-260), Guida (+220)

Round 1
The main card opens up with the lightweights, as eternally youthful 41-year-old Guida (38-22, 18-16 UFC) looks to go on his first win streak in six years. Standing in his way will be Combate Americas vet Garcia (14-3, 3-3 UFC), who also happens to be 13 years his junior. Whether this is a passing of the torch fight or proof that the now short-haired Guida very much still has it, they have 15 minutes to determine this while referee Dwayne Bess watches on. There is no plan for a bump of fists as the crowd goes crazy for Guida, and he starts off like he always does, with herky-jerky movement and plenty of energy. The two fighters meet right in the middle, throwing hands, and Guida gets the better of the exchange. Guida ducks a huge overhand right to stick him with a right, and he considers a takedown to mix things up. Garcia scores a right hand, and Guida slips and backs off to take a low kick. Guida returns fire with a leg kick, and Garcia quickly covers with a right over the top. Guida chains a low kick into punches, and Garcia backs him off with solid straight right hands. Guida circles along the outside, and he evades a one-two that soars at him. Guida lands a left and moves, and he swipes out with a left hand as Garcia reaches him with the right. Garcia rushes forward with a left to the ribs, and he misses the mark swinging a few hooks. Guida absorbs a flush leg kick at the end of a combination, and he gets tagged with a solid right to follow. They meet with jabs, and “Gifted” bestows Guida with a gift of a left hook. Guida bobs and moves in, and Garcia marks him up with five or six jabs in rapid succession. Guida’s nose is showing some damage from the punches, and Garcia clubs him with a right that lands on the jaw. Garcia counters with a sharp elbow, and Guida is eating shots every time he initiates his offense. Guida lands two punches coming in, and Garcia snaps out a jab at the end. Garcia’s jabs begin to sting Guida and make him smile, and the round ends after a pair of missed haymakers from both fighters.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 2
Guida races out of his corner to start off firing, and he sticks several jabs in then face of his opponent. Guida gets rocked with an uppercut, and he shakes it out and slaps down with a leg kick. Guida steps in with a knee, and he closes in on the clinch but does not change levels. A few punches from “The Carpenter” bounce off the guard, while a low kick does score. Garcia is timing uppercuts when Guida ducks or bobs, and chants for “Let’s go Guida” energize him slightly but do not change his strategy. Garcia nails his foe with a few right hands, and Guida catches him with a clean right in response before ducking into a single. Garcia stands him up and meets him with an elbow, and his jab is doing work. Guida shakes his head repeatedly when absorbing this blow again and again, but he cannot seem to get around it as his face bleeds out of multiple cuts. Guida checks a kick but gets tagged up top, and they trade punches with Garcia getting the better of them. Garcia knocks Guida’s mouthpiece out, and the veteran goes to retrieve it and continues to work towards Garcia. Guida does land a solid right, but Garcia is doing work with punches in bunches. Guida takes his foot off the gas to stop walking into so many jabs, and he adjusts his approach by not throwing as much to get countered. Guida punches his way into range, but Garcia reaches him with a few straight rights. Garcia rings Guida’s bell with a pair of straight shots, and Guida takes them on the chin and keeps coming forward. Garcia paws out with jabs to keep Guida at bay, and he allows Guida to throw with impunity as he tags him with right hands. A big right from Garcia ends the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 3
Like usual, Guida engages face-first in his approach. Garcia counters with a right over the top, and Guida counters with a head kick and takedown effort. Garcia shuts it down and gets popped with a few left hooks. “Gifted” intercepts Guida with an uppercut as Guida changes levels, and he lumbers forward throwing shots that Guida dodges. Guida connects with a left, a right and a low kick, and Garcia backpedals. Garcia loads up on an elbow that whizzes past Guida’s head, and he gets caught with a left as Guida is moving constantly. Garcia darts in with a left hook, and Guida ties him up and eats a few body shots before getting shoved back. Guida lands three punches up top as Garcia backs off with a right, and they trade punches while standing right in front of one another. Guida launches a head kick that gets blocked, and Garcia shells up and makes him pay with a few uppercuts. Garcia jabs to the body, and he swings and misses with a high kick in hopes of catching Guida barreling down on him. Guida gets his chin checked by a powerful right hook at the end of a string of punches, and the veteran shake it off and does not falter. Guida walks into a right hand as he tries to push the action, and he guard against a head kick. Garcia chains a few punches together, and he rocks Guida with a right hand as Guida staggers to the side. Garcia bloodies Guida up further as he drives jab after piston-like jab into the face, and Guida checks the sight of his blood and shoots for a takedown. Garcia escapes the grip and drills Guida with two more punches. Garcia leaps in the air with a knee, and Guida is out of the way but also out of time. The last round comes to an end, and the lightweights hug it out after 15 minutes of striking. When the dust settles, Guida takes his gloves off and holds them to earn an interview with Daniel Cormier. He does not hang them up, instead saying he will keep fighting, and asks to trade gloves with his opponent. This is the second fighter to do a retirement fake-out tonight.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (30-27 Garcia)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (30-27 Garcia)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia (30-27 Garcia)

The Official Result
Rafa Garcia def. Clay Guida via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Apr 9, 2023 (6 days before fight)

Rafa García

Angelo picks Rafa García, expecting him to get takedowns and win striking exchanges. He notes García's grappling and power, but also his cardio issues. He is not betting on García at -190 because the odds are too high, especially against a relentless pressure fighter like Guida who could expose cardio issues.

"half is going to be the pick I'm not gonna bet on him I just don't like those odds"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Apr 11, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

Big Brady picks Rafa García to win by first-round submission. He highlights García's improved cardio and grappling since moving to Elevation Fight Team, and notes Guida's age (41) and history of being submitted (11 times). He expects García to take Guida down and submit him early.

first round submission

"I like Garcia to win this fight by first round submission"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Apr 12, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Rafa García

Cody sees Garcia as a younger, better version of Guida with pressure wrestling and improving skills. He thinks Garcia's clinch strength and cardio will overwhelm the aging Guida. He acknowledges the line is steep but believes Garcia wins.

"gotta go with Rafa Garcia"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Apr 13, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Connor also picks Garcia, agreeing that Guida's style is not threatening enough to stop Garcia's forward pressure. He notes that Guida is more evasive than aggressive at this stage, and Garcia's willingness to keep working even when takedowns fail will be key. Connor believes Garcia's youth and activity will overwhelm the 41-year-old Guida.

"I got to take Rafa Garcia."

MMA Vivisection

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Apr 11, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

Garcia is younger and entering his prime, while Guida's recent wins are over older or retiring fighters. Garcia's boxing and forward pressure should outwork Guida, though Guida's cardio and grinding style could make it close. Garcia's ability to mix in takedowns and maintain pace should earn him a decision victory.

Over 2.5 rounds

"I expect him to land the better and more significant strikes in the early goings of this fight maybe not put clay Guido away but do enough to win a decision."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Apr 12, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Clay Guida

Paul is intrigued by Guida's plus money, noting Guida's takedown defense (only 2 takedowns allowed in 14 fights) and the possibility of a close decision. He thinks Garcia's takedown totals may be inflated and that Guida could grind out a win. He placed a small bet on Guida.

Small bet on Guida moneyline; also considering Guida by split decision prop

"I'm leaning towards clay just because of the money line we'll see where the where it goes I added a little bit of plus 210 really really small little play"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Apr 11, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

The MMA Guru picks Rafa García, citing his youth (28), well-rounded skills, and potential to finish the 41-year-old Guida. He believes García will corner Guida and put an end to his recent string of close decisions. He notes Guida's durability and movement but thinks García's prime and power will prevail.

García wins by finish (KO/TKO)

"Rafa Garcia gets the job done"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Apr 13, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Zane picks Garcia, noting that Guida's recent win over Scott Holtzman was unimpressive and that Garcia's relentless pressure and wrestling will be too much. He acknowledges that Garcia can struggle if his takedowns are stuffed, but believes Guida's lack of offensive pressure and age will allow Garcia to implement his game plan. Zane expects Garcia to push forward, land punches, and mix in takedowns.

Garcia opened -250/-230, now -245; Guida opened +200, now +213. Zane does not mention betting.

"I'm picking Rafa Garcia. This is not a hard fight to pick."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Maheshate

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland · Dec 17, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	49 of 98	50%	79 of 138	6 of 11	54%	0	0	6:10
Maheshate	0	25 of 141	17%	30 of 148	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	16 of 29	55%	16 of 31	0 of 2	0%	0:29
1	Maheshate	11 of 62	17%	11 of 63	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Rafa García	13 of 36	36%	27 of 54	3 of 4	75%	2:26
2	Maheshate	8 of 52	15%	8 of 52	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Rafa García	20 of 33	60%	36 of 53	3 of 5	60%	3:15
3	Maheshate	6 of 27	22%	11 of 33	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	49 of 98	50%	29 of 70	11 of 17	9 of 11	28 of 64	11 of 13	10 of 21
Maheshate	25 of 141	17%	16 of 110	8 of 29	1 of 2	23 of 138	1 of 2	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	16 of 29	55%	8 of 17	6 of 9	2 of 3	15 of 28	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Maheshate	11 of 62	17%	7 of 47	3 of 14	1 of 1	10 of 60	1 of 2	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	13 of 36	36%	8 of 28	3 of 6	2 of 2	6 of 20	5 of 6	2 of 10
2	Maheshate	8 of 52	15%	5 of 42	3 of 10	0 of 0	8 of 52	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	20 of 33	60%	13 of 25	2 of 2	5 of 6	7 of 16	5 of 6	8 of 11
3	Maheshate	6 of 27	22%	4 of 21	2 of 5	0 of 1	5 of 26	0 of 0	1 of 1

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Dec 11, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Rafa García

Angelo picks Rafa García, noting that Maheshate gets taken down easily and Rafa has 18 takedowns in his last four fights. He likes Rafa's chin and offensive grappling to get the job done. He mentions the line has flipped from Maheshate being favorite to near even money, and he has already placed a moneyline bet on Rafa for premium members.

Has a moneyline bet on Rafa García; notes line movement

"I like Rafa here I think mahasete is definitely dangerous but he also gets taken down easily and Rafa Garcia has 18 takedowns in his last four fights"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Hesitant picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Big Brady picks Rafa García but is very hesitant due to lack of information on Maheshate. He notes García's path to victory is takedowns, but his top control is poor and he has cardio issues. Maheshate has a size advantage and may have improved takedown defense. Brady says it's a tough fight to call and he's staying away from betting, but leans García by decision.

"I am going to take Rafa Garcia to go out there um mixing takedowns and win a decision in this one"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Cody picks Garcia, noting his grinding style and cardio improvements. He thinks Garcia will take Maheshate down and grind him out. He notes Maheshate is a slow starter and Garcia has a good chin. He expects a decision win for Garcia.

Garcia by decision

"Rafa Garcia again I'm leading towards another decision on this one... gotta go with Rafa Garcia"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Connor picks Garcia, noting he is the well-rounded fighter and should win if he wrestles. He thinks Garcia is tough and can out-wrestle Maheshate, whose defensive wrestling is questionable. He acknowledges Garcia can lose random fights but expects him to win.

"I'll take garcia. That seems like enough"

MMA Vivisection

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

Paul picks Maheshate as an underdog, noting his size and striking skills. He is concerned about Garcia's takedowns but thinks Maheshate can land a big shot. He sees value at plus money and is willing to take a shot. He makes it a Shoei bet with Cody.

"I'm gonna back my guy my shot the market is working its way away from me at this point... I'll take your two to one on this uh this whole Shoei operation uh I'll take my shot you get Rafa …"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 13, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

The MMA Guru picks Rafa García over Hayisaer Maheshate, going against the majority. He notes García's close fight with Jai Herbert and his submission win over Genesis Ronson. He questions Maheshate's competition and KO rate, pointing out that Maheshate took a decision against a 10-15 opponent. He expects García to pressure with a good chin and mix in grappling, potentially getting a late submission or decision win. He also mentions that Maheshate lost to a grappler in M1.

"I'm going half a Garcia here"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Lean picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

Zane picks Maheshate as a random chance pick, partly to avoid being mocked by a Twitter account he thinks might be Maheshate. He admits Garcia should win but thinks Maheshate could knock him out early. He notes Maheshate has good timing and hand speed.

"I'll take mahashate just because I don't want him to make fun of me again"

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Drakkar Klose

Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2 · Jul 30, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Drakkar Klose	0	61 of 115	53%	111 of 175	2 of 10	20%	0	0	2:05
Rafa García	0	34 of 57	59%	83 of 111	3 of 11	27%	0	0	2:54

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Drakkar Klose	19 of 30	63%	33 of 53	2 of 7	28%	1:49
1	Rafa García	13 of 22	59%	21 of 30	0 of 1	0%	0:06
2	Drakkar Klose	14 of 29	48%	35 of 51	0 of 2	0%	0:16
2	Rafa García	5 of 12	41%	33 of 45	2 of 4	50%	2:11
3	Drakkar Klose	28 of 56	50%	43 of 71	0 of 1	0%	0:00
3	Rafa García	16 of 23	69%	29 of 36	1 of 6	16%	0:37

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Drakkar Klose	61 of 115	53%	24 of 75	27 of 29	10 of 11	32 of 83	24 of 25	5 of 7
Rafa García	34 of 57	59%	23 of 45	8 of 8	3 of 4	23 of 44	11 of 13	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Drakkar Klose	19 of 30	63%	7 of 17	9 of 10	3 of 3	9 of 18	7 of 8	3 of 4
1	Rafa García	13 of 22	59%	9 of 18	2 of 2	2 of 2	9 of 17	4 of 5	0 of 0
2	Drakkar Klose	14 of 29	48%	5 of 18	6 of 7	3 of 4	7 of 21	5 of 5	2 of 3
2	Rafa García	5 of 12	41%	1 of 8	3 of 3	1 of 1	4 of 11	1 of 1	0 of 0
3	Drakkar Klose	28 of 56	50%	12 of 40	12 of 12	4 of 4	16 of 44	12 of 12	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	16 of 23	69%	13 of 19	3 of 3	0 of 1	10 of 16	6 of 7	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Rafa Garcia vs. Drakkar Klose
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Klose (-230), Garcia (+195)

Round 1
Opening up the ABC- and ESPN-aired prelims is what should be a fun lightweight matchup, even if Klose (12-2-1, 6-2 UFC) is now battling late replacement Garcia (13-2, 2-2 UFC). Both fighters prevailed on the same event in April, locking down second-round finishes of Brandon Jenkins and Jesse Ronson, respectively, so the “Matches to Make” choice appeared to be an easy one. They touch ‘em up with referee Jacob Rosales watching on, and Klose claims the center of the cage but is nowhere close to his opponent. Garcia stays on the outer edge of the cage as Klose feints with jabs, and the first strike is actually a stomping kick to the knee from Klose. Klose kicks on the inside and outside of the leg, and Garcia swarms him with an overhand right that bowls him over – not from it actually hitting him hard, but from Garcia’s body tackling him down. Klose gets back up and starts working the calf, until Garcia closes the distance and aims punches to the body. The American greets him with knees until they split up, and Klose fakes a body kick and rips one on the other side before tying Garcia up. Klose effectively uses the calf kick to decent effect, as Garcia powers through it to club Klose in the chops with a left. Klose staggers back and tries to give one back, but Garcia is smooth on the outside as he kicks the knee and nearly buckles it. Klose gives chases, and in an ensuing clinch, they throw short punches one after the other. Klose forces a separation, with his legs appearing to be fully back under him again, and he walks Garcia down and measures a jab. When “Gifted” bites on it, Klose changes levels. Klose is unable to get the first takedown try, but Garcia turns around and gives up his back. This allows Klose to trip him out and plant Garcia on his face for a moment. Garcia powers his way back up, and he grabs the fence to keep himself balanced as Klose attempts a mat return. Klose trips Garcia’s left leg out beneath him again to plant him down, and he starts slugging away on Garcia. “Gifted” checks his face to make sure he is not bleeding, and when he does, Klose sucks his leg out and makes it so Garcia cannot simply power his way back up as easily as before. Garcia rolls for a leglock, and Klose breaks it up before anything can come from it. When they both get to their knees, the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Klose
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Klose

Round 2
Klose races out of his corner to start the next round, and he plants a wheel kick upside Garcia’s head before shooting for a takedown in the first 10 seconds. Garcia stuffs it but absorbs a few knees to the body when Klose bails on it, and Garcia powers his way out to the center of the Octagon. The lightweights feint and fake their way towards one another, with Klose employing his stomp kick and swinging his shin to the body. Garcia dips back and absorbs a glancing right hand, but he is no worse for wear. Klose lets go with a body kick, and Garcia cannot pin him down or trap him to land with impunity. Garcia begins to chop the legs down a few times, and Klose switches stance after absorbing the blows. Garcia winds up on a right hook, but Klose dips back and answers with a short left. Garcia, using his momentum in his favor, pushes through and knocks Klose off his feet with a double. “Gifted” gives Klose several gifts in the form of his fists, before stepping into half guard. The posture remains tight as Garcia does not want to give up any space or allow a sweep or any bucking movement, but this also results in a stalemate. The crowd is not a fan of this nullifying half guard for Garcia, and Klose moves his head around to dodge punches before Montalvo steps in to stand them up. Garcia shoots the second they get stood up, and Klose staves it off and connects with a solid left hand. As Garcia aims a right hand over the top, Klose ducks down for a possible takedown entry, and Garcia snatches this up to hunt for a standing guillotine choke. There is nothing to it, and Klose shucks it off and absorbs the end of a left hand. Garcia misses with a spinning back kick, and Klose is suddenly energized and he charges in with his head in the air to throw bombs. Garcia retreats, and he weathers the storm before scooping Klose’s legs out and planting him down to the ground. A few punches for the fighter out of Mexico land before the horn resounds in the arena.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 3
Klose is the initial aggressor to start off the final round, pushing the pace and sticking his hands out to back Garcia off. The Michigan native jabs and makes Garcia dip down right into a head kick, and Garcia tanks it without budging. Garcia hunts for a takedown, and he redoubles his effort with a double that takes Klose off his feet. Klose threatens with a guillotine choke off his back, but with the cage behind him, there is no leverage to secure anything, and Garcia is comfortable without concern. Klose explodes back to his feet, and he throws hands to again force Garcia to back from one side of the cage to another. Klose allows Garcia to come at him so that he can set up a clinch in his favor, where he slams knees and punches into Garcia’s body. Klose senses that Garcia is fatiguing, and he strides forward without a care in the world, targeting the midsection and preparing to stuff takedowns. Klose gets Garcia’s attention with a low kick, and he has a clubbing right slide off the shoulder into the chin. Garcia’s hands largely drop by his waist, waiting for Klose to close the distance, so that he can lift them and sling something heavy. He has a thudding left connect cleanly, but Klose totally ignores it so that he can do more work to the body. Klose ties his man up after a failed takedown entry so that he can batter the body with punches and the occasional knee. Klose changes this up with his own takedown try, and Garcia pushes him off and backpedals. Garcia shoots for a single, and Klose gets shoved back to the wall and knees the ribs a few times to conclude the fight. Both men raise their hands after 15 minutes of combat, and some will almost certainly attempt the joke that the Klose fight was a close fight.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Klose (29-28 Klose)
Mike Sloan scores the round: 10-9 Klose (29-28 Klose)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Klose (29-28 Klose)

The Official Result
Drakkar Klose def. Rafa Garcia via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Jul 25, 2022 (5 days before fight)

Drakkar Klose

Big Brady picks Drakkar Klose to win by decision. He notes Garcia is on short notice and has cardio concerns, while Klose has fought much better competition. He expects the first round to be competitive but Klose's striking volume and takedown defense will carry him in later rounds. He mentions Garcia has never been knocked out, so a decision is likely.

"i like close to win here... i think he outstrikes garcia on the feet rounds two in rounds three and ultimately picks up a decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Jul 26, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Drakkar Klose

Cody picks Klose, noting his technical striking, forward pressure, and solid takedown defense. He thinks Garcia's wrestling won't be a factor because Klose will stop takedowns and win the striking exchanges. He mentions that Klose's cardio is solid and that Garcia is limited and loopy with his strikes. He also notes that Klose's significant strikes over 60.5 is a good prop on PrizePicks.

Klose over 60.5 significant strikes on PrizePicks

"i think close is just going to win the striking exchanges from distance stop the takedowns keep it standing and just rinse and repeat"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Lean picked Jul 27, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Drakkar Klose

Daniel picks Klose to win another close decision, noting that most of his fights are 29-28. He thinks Klose finds a way to edge out rounds, whether by calf kicks or a late takedown. He acknowledges Garcia's toughness and Mexican warrior spirit, but thinks Garcia's cardio issues (from the Gritzmacher fight) could be a factor. However, he calls the -205 price too high for a fighter who usually wins close fights, so he passes on betting.

"I'm gonna go Drakkar Klose to win another 29-28 decision."

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Jul 30, 2022 (fight day)

Drakkar Klose

Preet picks Klose by decision, expecting him to push Garcia against the cage, use leg kicks, and control the fight. He notes Klose's efficient style and that Garcia's cardio fades, leading to Klose taking over in the second and third rounds. He passes on the moneyline due to Klose's tendency to fight close decisions.

"i'll go close here uh close to your decision"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Jul 26, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Drakkar Klose

Paul picks Klose, citing his technical striking and good wrestling. He notes that Klose's losses are to very good fighters and that he looked great in his last fight against Brandon Jenkins. He thinks Garcia's wrestling won't be enough and that Klose will win the striking exchanges. He also mentions that Klose's takedown defense is solid and that Garcia is limited.

Klose over 60.5 significant strikes on PrizePicks

"gotta have to go with uh dracar close... the one thing that's always going to worry me about this guy for the rest of his foreseeable career is uh jeremy stevens almost ended his career"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Jul 30, 2022 (fight day)

Drakkar Klose

The MMA Guru predicts Drakkar Klose wins by 30-27 unanimous decision. He sees Klose as more technical and smart, landing calf kicks and body shots at range. Rafa García is tough but too one-dimensional. Klose will edge each round, possibly earning a 10-8 in the third.

unanimous decision

"dracar close gets this one done edging out every round"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Jesse Ronson

Submission (rear-naked choke) R2 4:50 · UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 · Apr 16, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	35 of 80	43%	73 of 126	3 of 4	75%	1	0	4:37
Jesse Ronson	0	25 of 61	40%	28 of 64	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:02

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	26 of 64	40%	32 of 73	1 of 2	50%	0	0:35
1	Jesse Ronson	23 of 52	44%	25 of 54	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Rafa García	9 of 16	56%	41 of 53	2 of 2	100%	1	4:02
2	Jesse Ronson	2 of 9	22%	3 of 10	0 of 1	0%	0	0:02

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	35 of 80	43%	31 of 76	3 of 3	1 of 1	26 of 70	1 of 1	8 of 9
Jesse Ronson	25 of 61	40%	13 of 48	6 of 7	6 of 6	25 of 60	0 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	26 of 64	40%	23 of 61	3 of 3	0 of 0	25 of 63	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Jesse Ronson	23 of 52	44%	13 of 41	5 of 6	5 of 5	23 of 52	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	9 of 16	56%	8 of 15	0 of 0	1 of 1	1 of 7	0 of 0	8 of 9
2	Jesse Ronson	2 of 9	22%	0 of 7	1 of 1	1 of 1	2 of 8	0 of 1	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Rafa Garcia vs. Jesse Ronson

Round 1
Lightweights take the stage as we move along the prelims, as Canada’s Ronson (21-10, 1 NC; 0-3, 1 NC UFC) will try to earn his first victory inside the Octagon in his fifth try. He will face “Gifted” Garcia (12-2, 1-2 UFC) out of Mexico in a battle of North American nations. Drawing the charge is referee Mark Smith, who hopes that what happened in the last fight takes place in this one. There is no glove touch, and instead the two fighters start trading in a hurry. Garcia lands with a solid right hand, and Ronson gets off an inside leg kick. As Ronson comes forward, Garcia acts as a matador and actually tosses Ronson down to the canvas. He does not pounce, allowing the Canadian to get back up, and they throw hands again. Garcia lines up his right hand, and Ronson is just able to get out of harm’s way each time. As Ronson advances, Garcia clubs him with this right, and Ronson shakes it off and tries to pay him back. The lightweight go tit-for-tat, with one landing, the other replying, and the first swinging back. Ronson jabs down the middle, and Garcia swings back at him with a more varied approach. A faked ankle pick from Garcia allows him to wing an overhand right, and Ronson rolls through it and comes right back. “The Body Snatcher” connects with a swiping kick to the body, and he tries to throw another only for the leg to get caught. Garcia swings him down to the ground, and Ronson scrambles right back up. When they are tied up, “Gifted” gives him man several gifts in the form of surprisingly powerful foot stomps, which lead to Ronson exploding out of the position. As Ronson recovers, Garcia shoots through his hips and plants him on the ground with a clean double. Ronson once more hops back up to his feet without being grounded for long, and when he stands, Garcia drills him in the face. Ronson does not stop moving forward, and Garcia lays into him and lands flush. Ronson powers straight ahead, landing with a few clean punches, and concluding the round with a low kick on the rear leg of his foe.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Garcia
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Garcia

Round 2
The fighters march out of their corners, and they are quick to engage. Ronson marks Garcia up with a few punches, and Garcia comes forward to hit a takedown. The Canadian scrambles, and he works his way up to a knee. Before getting up, Garcia nails Ronson with an illegal knee, and Smith recognizes this instantly and lets out a heavy sigh as there is now nonsense in this fight too. Smith calls in the doctor to assess Ronson from the foul, and Ronson is a little wobbly but he informs the doctor that he is ready to continue. Smith properly deducts one point from Garcia for the foul, and he resumes the action. “Gifted” surges forward in pursuit of a takedown, and he drags Ronson right back down to the ground. Ronson scoots his way to the fence, and back up to a knee, but this time Garcia is not interested in landing knees as he wants to take his back instead. Garcia cannot lock up a choke, and as he pursues one, Ronson falls to his back to free up his neck. The Mexican fighter set up an arm-triangle choke from the guard, and he bails on it when he attempts to pass guard. Garcia hops over to half guard, where he starts hammering down with punches. Garcia grinds on top as his punches slow, keeping Ronson tightly pressed down to the ground. Ronson too holds on tight from below, in hopes of a standup or to at least stop Garcia from landing strikes. Garcia slowly works Ronson with several right hands, forcing Ronson to turn over. As Ronson tries to slide out the back door, Garcia grabs hold of his back and gets a hook in. Ronson turns to his knees and tries to buck Garcia off of him, but Garcia postures up and smacks Ronson upside the head.
The punches make Ronson adjust briefly, allowing “Gifted” Garcia the slightest of opportunities to slip his arm beneath the chin and lock up a rear-naked choke. It is all he needs, as he cinches the choke tight, and Ronson taps almost instantly as it is academic and he would be out seconds later.
That is one way to take the judges out of the equation, after Garcia lost a point a few minutes ago.

The Official Result
Rafa Garcia def. Jesse Ronson R2 4:50 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Apr 10, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Rafa García

Angelo picks Rafa García confidently, calling it a clear pick. He notes that García has more power, better ground game, and is dangerous everywhere. He mentions that Jesse Ronson may be more technical but has chin issues, and García hits like a truck for the weight class. He is surprised García is only a slight favorite and plans to bet the moneyline at -120 before the line moves.

moneyline bet at -120

"this is a clear pick for me i love hasag hafa garcia here and i'm going to throw a moneyline bet on him before this line moves because you know frankly i'm loving him at the minus 120 price point"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Apr 12, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Jesse Ronson

Big Brady slightly picks Jesse Ronson to win by close decision. He notes Ronson has better striking and cardio, while García has good wrestling but questionable cardio. He expects García to slow down as the fight goes on, allowing Ronson to take over late. He calls it a very close fight and says he won't bet on it.

"i will take jesse ronson slightly and i'll take him to win by a very close and competitive decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Apr 12, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Jesse Ronson

Cody picks Ronson, citing his technical striking and experience. He notes Garcia's struggles at 155 and the weight jump to 170. He thinks Ronson's sharpness and durability will be key, and calls him a live underdog.

"gotta go jesse ronson's dog money"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert picked Apr 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Daniel Levi has no clear pick, calling it a question of which version of Jesse Ronson shows up. If Ronson is the seasoned vet who has fought elite competition (Michel Prazeres, Kevin Lee) and is clean from his suspension, he picks Ronson. If Ronson is washed up, he picks Garcia. He notes Garcia is tough and gritty but has faced lower-level competition and was finished by Chris Gruetzemacher after gassing. Levi is uncertain and passes.

"Both guys at their best I got jesse ronson it's just are we getting both guys at their best that's the big question."

Half the Battle

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Apr 12, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Jesse Ronson

Paul leans towards Ronson after hearing Cody's analysis. He notes Ronson's technical striking and experience, and thinks Garcia may struggle moving up to 170. He plans to add Ronson to his card.

"i'm gonna add ronson to the card"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Apr 11, 2022 (5 days before fight)

Rafa García

The MMA Guru picks Rafa García due to Jesse Ronson's inactivity and age (36). He notes García's activity and visible improvements, and believes Ronson has regressed during his time off. He expects García to win a 29-28 decision in a fun scrap.

unanimous decision 29-28

"half of garcia gets this one done plus ronson's been injured on in his time off as well"

THE MMA GURU

View all 11 fights

Maheshate - Fight History

LOSS vs Gauge Young

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang · Aug 23, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Gauge Young	0	66 of 150	44%	79 of 166	0 of 7	0%	0	0	0:12
Maheshate	0	112 of 200	56%	131 of 221	3 of 6	50%	0	0	3:51

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Gauge Young	18 of 44	40%	21 of 48	0 of 2	0%	0:01
1	Maheshate	31 of 53	58%	34 of 56	1 of 1	100%	1:13
2	Gauge Young	24 of 52	46%	27 of 55	0 of 0	---	0:04
2	Maheshate	45 of 78	57%	49 of 83	1 of 3	33%	1:08
3	Gauge Young	24 of 54	44%	31 of 63	0 of 5	0%	0:07
3	Maheshate	36 of 69	52%	48 of 82	1 of 2	50%	1:30

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Gauge Young	66 of 150	44%	42 of 118	12 of 18	12 of 14	60 of 143	6 of 7	0 of 0
Maheshate	112 of 200	56%	64 of 138	23 of 32	25 of 30	103 of 189	8 of 10	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Gauge Young	18 of 44	40%	5 of 29	6 of 7	7 of 8	18 of 44	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Maheshate	31 of 53	58%	9 of 25	9 of 13	13 of 15	27 of 49	4 of 4	0 of 0
2	Gauge Young	24 of 52	46%	18 of 45	3 of 4	3 of 3	22 of 49	2 of 3	0 of 0
2	Maheshate	45 of 78	57%	32 of 59	7 of 10	6 of 9	43 of 75	1 of 2	1 of 1
3	Gauge Young	24 of 54	44%	19 of 44	3 of 7	2 of 3	20 of 50	4 of 4	0 of 0
3	Maheshate	36 of 69	52%	23 of 54	7 of 9	6 of 6	33 of 65	3 of 4	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young

Round 1
The top prelim bout at UFC Shanghai, for whatever that distinction is worth on an all-ESPN card, features Midwest lightweight veteran Young against the mononymous Tibetan Maheshate. Referee Herb Dean motions the fighters to go to work and they comply, setting up in matching orthodox stances. Young strikes first with a body kick. Maheshate stalks forward, landing a kick of his own, and snaps Young’s head back with a right cross. Dean cautions the native fighter not to extend his fingers. Maheshate tags Young with another long, straight right hand. Young is bleeding a bit from the brow. Maheshate comes up short with a pair of murderous-looking hooks, and Young nails him on the counter, dropping him to his seat, mostly off balance. Maheshate pops back to his feet and lands a jab. Young with a hard low kick. Dean pauses the action and warns both fighters to watch their fingers. A few seconds later, he stops them again and gives the same warning, but when they go back to work, the fingers are once again extended—especially Maheshate’s. Young changes levels for a nice double-leg, running Maheshate to the cage, where he uses the fence to stand. Maheshate tries a whizzer kick but can’t get Young down. They end up the round tangled against the fence.
10-9 Hayisaer.

Round 2
Maheshate lands the first solid strike of the round, a straight right as Young is coming forward. Young drops down for a takedown attempt, but Maheshate allows himself to be driven to the cage, which keeps him upright. They disengage. Young lands a nice low kick and eats a jab on the counter. Young with another leg kick. Young is doing a solid job getting into range on the faster and much taller fighter. Young snaps back the head of Maheshate with a double jab, takes one in return and then comes back with another. Maheshate steps forward and Young grabs a double collar tie, punishing him with a knee up the middle. Young seems to be building momentum, landing more and better shots than his foe, but with 90 seconds to go in the round, Maheshate plants his feet and lands a solid right. Young shakes it off, comes in behind punches and changes levels for a takedown. He hauls his man down, moves to mount and takes his foe’s back with 10 seconds to go. Maheshate shakes him over the top and gets back to his feet at the horn.
10-9 Young.

Round 3
Young catches Maheshate with a low kick, slips a level elbow inside and then meets a level change head-on and comes out on top in the ensuing scramble. They disengage by mutual assent and go back to work on the feet. Young is suddenly the sharper striker, backing up the taller man and landing accurate punches. Young walks Maheshate into the fence, where he holds him up with an underhook and throws short punches and knees to the body. Maheshate shucks him off, lands a grazing knee and they break up, meeting back in the center of the cage. Half the round is down and the lightweights are exchanging single strikes in the middle of the Octagon. Maheshate runs Young to the fence with a double-leg, switches to a single, but can’t finish the takedown and they come off the fence. Maheshate slips a pair of punches and comes back with a hard right hand. Young clinches, they go careening into the fence and Maheshate tries a hip throw from an overhook. It goes nowhere, and the final horn sounds.
10-9 Young (29-28 Young).

The Official Result
Gauge Young def. Maheshate Hayisaer via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Lean picked Aug 17, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Maheshate

Angelo gives a slight lean to Maheshate, calling him a fun striker who can hang in a firefight and mix in traditional martial arts techniques. He notes that Gauge Young is a well-rounded prospect but hasn't shown success at the UFC level. He admits this is not a confident pick and that he despises tracking picks equally because of low-confidence picks like this.

"I think Gage is the better fighter here. But without any actual success at this level, I'm going to have to slightly lean the local guy. Slight lean to Mahashete here, but there are a lot of fights on this …"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Gauge Young

Big Brady picks Gauge Young to win by decision, though he admits he is not a fan of either fighter. He criticizes Maheshate's low striking accuracy and poor chin, and notes that Young has better volume and durability. He expects a close fight on the feet and believes Young will do enough to win a decision.

Gauge Young by decision

"Gage Young by decision will be the pick though."

DFS by the Numbers

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Gauge Young

The host acknowledges a lot of money has come in on Maheshate, but still believes Young is the superior striker. He thinks Young's durability will help him eat big shots from Maheshate and eventually get to his own volume striking style, leading to a knockout.

win by KO/TKO

"I still think Young is the superior striker, and his durability should help him eat some of these big shots from Mahashate and eventually get to his own volume style of striking, which I think will eventually lead to Young …"

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Aug 22, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Gauge Young

The MMA Guru picks Gauge Young, noting that Young looked good on the Contender Series and had a competitive fight with Evan Elder. He admits he doesn't remember much about Maheshate, who has a 50/50 record in the UFC and hasn't beaten anyone good. He believes Young's ability to build as fights go on will be an advantage.

"I'm going to go with Gage Young over Mahashe. Gage Young's going to win."

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Nikolas Motta

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Figueiredo · Nov 23, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Nikolas Motta	0	56 of 169	33%	60 of 173	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
Maheshate	2	78 of 166	46%	87 of 183	0 of 0	---	0	0	1:32

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Nikolas Motta	0	16 of 44	36%	16 of 44	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Maheshate	1	25 of 63	39%	32 of 74	0 of 0	---	0:07
2	Nikolas Motta	0	24 of 66	36%	24 of 66	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Maheshate	0	25 of 54	46%	25 of 57	0 of 0	---	0:05
3	Nikolas Motta	0	16 of 59	27%	20 of 63	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Maheshate	1	28 of 49	57%	30 of 52	0 of 0	---	1:20

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Nikolas Motta	56 of 169	33%	29 of 133	9 of 13	18 of 23	53 of 160	3 of 9	0 of 0
Maheshate	78 of 166	46%	61 of 144	7 of 11	10 of 11	67 of 147	2 of 7	9 of 12

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Nikolas Motta	16 of 44	36%	7 of 33	4 of 5	5 of 6	14 of 41	2 of 3	0 of 0
1	Maheshate	25 of 63	39%	18 of 52	2 of 5	5 of 6	24 of 60	1 of 3	0 of 0
2	Nikolas Motta	24 of 66	36%	11 of 51	2 of 3	11 of 12	24 of 62	0 of 4	0 of 0
2	Maheshate	25 of 54	46%	19 of 47	3 of 4	3 of 3	24 of 50	1 of 4	0 of 0
3	Nikolas Motta	16 of 59	27%	11 of 49	3 of 5	2 of 5	15 of 57	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Maheshate	28 of 49	57%	24 of 45	2 of 2	2 of 2	19 of 37	0 of 0	9 of 12

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Nov 17, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Nikolas Motta

Angelo picks Nikolas Motta as an underdog, citing Maheshate's sloppiness and hittability. He believes Motta is faster, more accurate, and a better striker. He notes both are chinny but Motta's technical edge should prevail. He will sprinkle if the line widens to +200 or +250.

plus 176 underdog; will sprinkle if line widens to +200 or +250

"Nicholas ma is going to be the faster better more accurate striker in this matchup and he's a plus 176 Underdog that seems insane to me"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Nov 20, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Maheshate

Big Brady picks Maheshate to win by second-round knockout. He notes Maheshate is seven years younger, has a height and reach advantage, and is the more active striker. He highlights that Nikolas Motta has been finished in all five of his losses, including four by knockout, while Maheshate has only one knockout loss. Brady believes both have knockout power but Maheshate has better durability.

fight doesn't go to decision (opened +160, now -250), Maheshate wins by KO in round 2

"I'm going to go with mahate here by second round knockout"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Nov 20, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Maheshate

Cody picks Maheshate, citing his power and youth. He notes that Motta has been knocked out multiple times and fades in later rounds. Maheshate's durability and improving cardio should allow him to win by knockout or decision. He expects a violent finish in Maheshate's favor.

"I think mahot knocks he knocks Nicholas Moda out if he doesn't knock Nicholas Moda out I think he can wrestle in a little bit"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Lean picked Nov 21, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

Daniel Vreeland acknowledges Motta's devastating knockout power, noting 10 of his 14 wins are by KO. However, he believes Maheshate has more tools on the feet and can win a decision if he avoids getting knocked out. He leans towards Maheshate due to his youth, size, and more diverse striking, but admits Motta always has a puncher's chance.

"if it's a three round War I lean a little bit more towards mahate but it's just about if you're picking mat it's because you've concluded that he's gonna come out here and starch mahate"

Half the Battle

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Hesitant picked Nov 20, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Maheshate

Paul picks Maheshate but is hesitant, noting that both have power and can finish. He thinks Motta has more power but less heart, and Maheshate's volume and durability will be key. He suggests a live bet on Motta by KO early, but expects Maheshate to win if it goes past the first round.

Motta by KO prop

"I think Ma's have some success early so a up by KO prop like plus 375 like I feel like that's most of his path to Victory"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Hesitant picked Nov 21, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Nikolas Motta

The MMA Guru initially considered Maheshate due to his size and reach, but changed his mind after noting Maheshate's split decision win over Gabriel Benitez, which he views as unimpressive. He believes Motta won't get knocked out early and will warm into the fight, ultimately picking Motta to start the card. However, he acknowledges Maheshate's knockout of Steve Garcia, showing hesitation.

"I'm going to go with Nicholas M to start off the card"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Gabriel Benítez

Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez · Apr 27, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Maheshate	0	121 of 295	41%	121 of 296	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
Gabriel Benítez	0	97 of 312	31%	97 of 312	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:03

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Maheshate	23 of 69	33%	23 of 69	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Gabriel Benítez	21 of 66	31%	21 of 66	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Maheshate	51 of 104	49%	51 of 104	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Gabriel Benítez	43 of 116	37%	43 of 116	0 of 0	---	0:03
3	Maheshate	47 of 122	38%	47 of 123	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Gabriel Benítez	33 of 130	25%	33 of 130	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Maheshate	121 of 295	41%	81 of 247	13 of 21	27 of 27	120 of 291	1 of 4	0 of 0
Gabriel Benítez	97 of 312	31%	67 of 261	26 of 47	4 of 4	93 of 304	4 of 8	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Maheshate	23 of 69	33%	9 of 51	4 of 8	10 of 10	23 of 69	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Gabriel Benítez	21 of 66	31%	13 of 49	6 of 15	2 of 2	21 of 66	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Maheshate	51 of 104	49%	35 of 87	3 of 4	13 of 13	51 of 103	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Gabriel Benítez	43 of 116	37%	29 of 100	12 of 14	2 of 2	42 of 115	1 of 1	0 of 0
3	Maheshate	47 of 122	38%	37 of 109	6 of 9	4 of 4	46 of 119	1 of 3	0 of 0
3	Gabriel Benítez	33 of 130	25%	25 of 112	8 of 18	0 of 0	30 of 123	3 of 7	0 of 0

Angelo Bodetti Expert Hesitant picked Apr 21, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Maheshate

Angelo picks Maheshate but with very low confidence, calling it 'the tiniest sliver of confidence.' He notes Maheshate is young (24), faster, and stronger, but makes young mistakes and lets opponents dictate the pace. The pick is driven largely by recency bias, as Gabriel Benítez looked poor in his last fight after a layoff. Angelo acknowledges Benítez is a good underdog value because he may have shaken off ring rust.

"I am going to pick mahash shete but with like the tiniest the tiniest sliver of confidence and it's literally only because Gabriel bonitz looked pretty bad in his last fight"

We Want Picks

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Apr 24, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Gabriel Benítez

Cody picks Benítez as a dog, citing his technical striking and volume. He notes Maheshate is low-volume and relies on one-punch power. He believes Benítez's experience and durability (if chin holds) will allow him to outwork Maheshate.

"give me the guy who I think is the better technical Striker at plus 165"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Apr 24, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Maheshate

Daniel believes Maheshate belongs at UFC level, while Benítez is a gatekeeper who loses to fighters who belong. He notes Maheshate's right-side strikes (hand, high kick, knee) will be key against the southpaw Benítez. He predicts a knockout from the right side, possibly a right hand or high kick.

by KO

"I think mahes Shat does belong and I think he's Gonna Knock Out Gabrielle bonitz on Saturday night"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Apr 26, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Maheshate

Maheshate has a 4-inch height advantage and similar reach, and his ability to establish range with footwork and straight shots down the middle will cause Benítez trouble. He has aligned himself with Fight Ready MMA, which has solid striking coaches. I expect Maheshate to counter Benítez effectively and line up a knockout shot, putting him back into winning ways.

"I believe that we'll eventually see mahash counter bonitz effectively here and line up that knockout shot putting mahash back into his winning ways"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Apr 24, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Gabriel Benítez

Paul also picks Benítez, noting his high volume and takedown defense. He thinks Maheshate's low output plays into Benítez's hands, and that Benítez can win by decision if he avoids Maheshate's power. He acknowledges Benítez's chin issues but believes his volume will carry him.

"Bonitas wins"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Apr 23, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Maheshate

The MMA Guru picks Maheshate to win by TKO in the third round. He notes that Maheshate has shown composure and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win, including eye pokes and takedowns when being outstruck. He criticizes Gabriel Benítez for falling apart in fights and lacking finishing ability, as seen in his failure to put away Billy Quarantillo. The Guru believes Maheshate is hungrier and more technical on the feet.

TKO in the third round

"I'm going to go with mahake getting this one done I'll say TKO in the third"

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Viacheslav Borshchev

TKO (punches) R2 2:37 · UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill · May 20, 2023

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Viacheslav Borshchev	0	32 of 109	29%	33 of 110	0 of 2	0%	0	0	0:00
Maheshate	3	85 of 148	57%	85 of 148	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:09

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Viacheslav Borshchev	0	22 of 70	31%	23 of 71	0 of 1	0%	0:00
1	Maheshate	1	57 of 100	57%	57 of 100	0 of 0	---	0:05
2	Viacheslav Borshchev	0	10 of 39	25%	10 of 39	0 of 1	0%	0:00
2	Maheshate	2	28 of 48	58%	28 of 48	0 of 0	---	0:04

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Viacheslav Borshchev	32 of 109	29%	26 of 100	1 of 3	5 of 6	29 of 99	3 of 10	0 of 0
Maheshate	85 of 148	57%	40 of 99	17 of 19	28 of 30	69 of 118	11 of 18	5 of 12

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Viacheslav Borshchev	22 of 70	31%	17 of 63	1 of 3	4 of 4	21 of 67	1 of 3	0 of 0
1	Maheshate	57 of 100	57%	23 of 64	11 of 12	23 of 24	49 of 81	7 of 12	1 of 7
2	Viacheslav Borshchev	10 of 39	25%	9 of 37	0 of 0	1 of 2	8 of 32	2 of 7	0 of 0
2	Maheshate	28 of 48	58%	17 of 35	6 of 7	5 of 6	20 of 37	4 of 6	4 of 5

Angelo Bodetti Expert Lean picked May 14, 2023 (6 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

Angelo picks Borshchev because in a striking match he should win easily, but he is concerned about Borshchev's poor takedown defense (31%) and the possibility that Maheshate could wrestle. He notes Borshchev is tough and never stops working, but is waiting for props before betting.

Waiting for props

"the pick's gonna be borshev but betting spot again we're gonna have to wait for some props and see what happens"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked May 12, 2023 (8 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

Big Brady picks Viacheslav Borshchev to knock out Maheshate in the first round. He is happy the UFC is giving Borshchev a striker, as his takedown defense is terrible but he is a beautiful striker with power. He expects Maheshate to stand and trade, which favors Borshchev. He predicts a first-round knockout.

knockout in round 1

"I'm going to take him to win this fight by first round knockout"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked May 18, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

Cody argues that Borshchev's takedown defense is poor, but Maheshate has never attempted a takedown in the UFC. He expects a striking match where Borshchev's volume and power will prevail. He notes Borshchev's ability to get up from takedowns and finish opponents.

"I'll take borshev."

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Lean picked May 19, 2023 (1 day before fight)

Maheshate

Connor picks Maheshate because he believes Borshchev is more hurtable and can be caught with a big counter hook or knee. He notes that Maheshate is bigger, more well-rounded, and has never been knocked out. Connor also mentions the possibility of Maheshate out-grappling Borshchev, who is bad on the ground. He admits part of his pick is to avoid being trolled by a Twitter account claiming to be Maheshate.

"I'll take Mahashatte just because I think that Borshove is more hurtable."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked May 18, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

Daniel Levi picks Viacheslav Borshchev, assuming the fight stays standing. He notes Borshchev has a clear striking advantage and is the more experienced kickboxer, while Maheshate has attempted zero takedowns in his UFC/Contender Series appearances. Levi acknowledges Borshchev's poor takedown defense but thinks Maheshate won't exploit it. He sees this as a striking match and favors Borshchev's cleaner technique.

"I'm gonna go vicious love barchov"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked May 15, 2023 (5 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

The host picks Viacheslav Borshchev, expecting a striking battle where Borshchev's cleaner technique and body work will be key. He thinks Borshchev will slow Maheshate with body kicks and punches, then find a knockout. He likes the under and predicts a TKO victory.

under

"I like borshev here I like the unders I'm expecting some violence here and I think it's going to be Slava claws that comes out once again snaps that two fine winning streak and earns another knockout victory in the …"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked May 18, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

Paul is intrigued by Maheshate's power and durability, and notes that Borshchev's takedown defense is a liability. He thinks Maheshate could land a knockout if Borshchev stands with him. He takes the underdog for value.

"I bet him at plus 138."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked May 16, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

The MMA Guru picks Borshchev, believing he is better on the feet and that Maheshate won't be able to dominate him on the ground. He notes Borshchev has been working on his grappling and had moments against Mike Davis. He expects a stand-up fight and predicts Borshchev will finish via late-round TKO to the body. He is not impressed by Maheshate's win over Steve Garcia.

late rounds TKO to the body

"I'm gonna go with borshev ... I reckon you finish this one by late rounds TKO to a body shot"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Hesitant picked May 19, 2023 (1 day before fight)

Viacheslav Borshchev

Zane picks Borshchev primarily for his aggression and body punching. He notes that Borshchev is more hittable and easier to get to, but his liver hunting could be a key factor against Maheshate, who has never been knocked out but may not withstand a clean shot to the liver. Zane sees this as a very 50/50 fight and is hesitant, but leans toward Borshchev's offensive pressure.

"I'm going to take Borshchev, but this looks like a very 50 50 fight to me."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Rafa García

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland · Dec 17, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Rafa García	0	49 of 98	50%	79 of 138	6 of 11	54%	0	0	6:10
Maheshate	0	25 of 141	17%	30 of 148	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Rafa García	16 of 29	55%	16 of 31	0 of 2	0%	0:29
1	Maheshate	11 of 62	17%	11 of 63	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Rafa García	13 of 36	36%	27 of 54	3 of 4	75%	2:26
2	Maheshate	8 of 52	15%	8 of 52	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Rafa García	20 of 33	60%	36 of 53	3 of 5	60%	3:15
3	Maheshate	6 of 27	22%	11 of 33	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Rafa García	49 of 98	50%	29 of 70	11 of 17	9 of 11	28 of 64	11 of 13	10 of 21
Maheshate	25 of 141	17%	16 of 110	8 of 29	1 of 2	23 of 138	1 of 2	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Rafa García	16 of 29	55%	8 of 17	6 of 9	2 of 3	15 of 28	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Maheshate	11 of 62	17%	7 of 47	3 of 14	1 of 1	10 of 60	1 of 2	0 of 0
2	Rafa García	13 of 36	36%	8 of 28	3 of 6	2 of 2	6 of 20	5 of 6	2 of 10
2	Maheshate	8 of 52	15%	5 of 42	3 of 10	0 of 0	8 of 52	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Rafa García	20 of 33	60%	13 of 25	2 of 2	5 of 6	7 of 16	5 of 6	8 of 11
3	Maheshate	6 of 27	22%	4 of 21	2 of 5	0 of 1	5 of 26	0 of 0	1 of 1

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Dec 11, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Rafa García

Has a moneyline bet on Rafa García; notes line movement

"I like Rafa here I think mahasete is definitely dangerous but he also gets taken down easily and Rafa Garcia has 18 takedowns in his last four fights"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Hesitant picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I am going to take Rafa Garcia to go out there um mixing takedowns and win a decision in this one"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Garcia by decision

"Rafa Garcia again I'm leading towards another decision on this one... gotta go with Rafa Garcia"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I'll take garcia. That seems like enough"

MMA Vivisection

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

"I'm gonna back my guy my shot the market is working its way away from me at this point... I'll take your two to one on this uh this whole Shoei operation uh I'll take my shot you get Rafa …"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 13, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I'm going half a Garcia here"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Lean picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

"I'll take mahashate just because I don't want him to make fun of me again"

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Steve Garcia

KO (punch) R1 1:14 · UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Prochazka · Jun 12, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Maheshate	2	7 of 10	70%	7 of 10	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:01
Steve Garcia	0	7 of 19	36%	9 of 21	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:35

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Maheshate	2	7 of 10	70%	7 of 10	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:01
1	Steve Garcia	0	7 of 19	36%	9 of 21	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:35

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Maheshate	7 of 10	70%	6 of 8	1 of 2	0 of 0	7 of 10	0 of 0	0 of 0
Steve Garcia	7 of 19	36%	7 of 15	0 of 4	0 of 0	4 of 15	0 of 1	3 of 3

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Maheshate	7 of 10	70%	6 of 8	1 of 2	0 of 0	7 of 10	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Steve Garcia	7 of 19	36%	7 of 15	0 of 4	0 of 0	4 of 15	0 of 1	3 of 3

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Steve Garcia vs. Maheshate Hayisaer
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Garcia (-180), Hayisaer (+155)

Round 1
Two victors from seasons of Dana White’s Contender Series collide for this lightweight matchup, when “Mean Machine” Garcia (12-4, 1-1 UFC) welcomes Maheshate (8-1, 0-0 UFC) to the UFC. The youngster Maheshate holds eight wins on his ledger, not six as other sources may list, due to a pair of 2019 victories discovered when Fight Finder staff members deciphered a typo in the promotion itself misspelling his name. Referee Marc Goddard will be on top of the action in this 155-pound affair, and there is a no glove touch from the two competitors to seal the cage around them. Maheshate throws out a front kick, and Garcia leaps back as Maheshate bears down on him. They both trade ferocious leather, and Garcia hurts Maheshate with a right hand. The Chinese competitor replies with a power punch that knocks Garcia down, and Garcia is able to get his wits about him and jam Maheshate into the wall and score several short right hands. Garcia cannot keep his foe pressed to the wall, and Maheshate jumps back.
Maheshate retreats as “Mean Machine” crashes towards him recklessly, and Garcia wings a left hand that comes up short. In response, Maheshate counters with a short but brutal right hand that lands right on the button and completely disables Garcia. The American falls face-first to the mat, totally unconscious.
Maheshate knows his work here is done, and looks down but does not strike as Goddard reaches him to pull him away. Maheshate celebrates with his team after his outstanding UFC debut, as he becomes the first fighter to knock out the UFC and Bellator vet Garcia.

The Official Result
Maheshate Hayisaer def. Steve Garcia R1 1:14 via KO (Punch)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Jun 5, 2022 (7 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

Angelo is confident in Steve Garcia, citing his grappling advantage and experience. He notes Maheshate is young and inexperienced, and Garcia has a clear path to victory by pressuring and using takedowns. He thinks the odds are close but the fighters are worlds apart in grappling and experience.

solid money line bet

"i'm confident he's going to do that and i'm confident he's going to work in his grappling i think this is a tricky fight but i also think steve has a very clean path to victory here"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Jun 6, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

Big Brady picks Steve Garcia to win by first-round knockout. He notes that Maheshate has poor takedown defense and get-up game, while Garcia is the better striker and wrestler. He expects Garcia to take Maheshate down and finish him with ground and pound, though he acknowledges Garcia's chin is a concern after being dropped multiple times by Charlie Ontiveros.

win by first round knockout

"Steve Garcia I think he's the better striker I think he's the better wrestler the better grappler he should be able to go out here and take down Maheshate and finish him early on."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Lean picked Jun 8, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Maheshate

Cody picks Maheshate as an underdog, believing he is the wrong fighter favorite. He notes Maheshate's youth, durability, and power, and thinks Garcia's wrestling is overrated. He made a bet on Maheshate at +135 and is willing to do a prop bet with Paul.

bet at +135; willing to do a prop bet

"i bet mahashate i actually took a bad number i took them at plus 135 i think it's the wrong fighter favorite"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked Jun 9, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

Daniel Levi confidently picks Steve Garcia, believing Maheshate does not belong in the UFC yet. He notes Garcia's experience against better competition, including a win over Ronnie Lawrence. He acknowledges Garcia's vulnerability to getting hurt but thinks Garcia's wrestling and volume will be too much. He is only concerned about jet lag and judges favoring the Asian fighter.

"I got Steve Garcia to come out here and you know give this guy a first class ticket and a tour of the octagon and show him what's what you know at the UFC level I don't think belongs"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Jun 10, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

Garcia has the grappling edge and can take the fight to the ground if needed. He has UFC experience and has fought tougher competition. Maheshate is young and unproven, with wins over low-level opponents. Garcia should be able to grind out a win or find a finish. I'll be on Garcia side but no bet.

"I think that garcia's gonna hold the grappling edge if he doesn't like what's going on on the feet and he also has the edge of having previous ufc fights."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Jun 8, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

Paul picks Garcia, citing his wrestling and top pressure. He thinks Garcia can take Maheshate down and grind out a decision. He acknowledges Garcia's shaky performance against Charlie Ontiveros but believes his grappling will be the difference.

Garcia by decision

"my actual pick would be steve garcia the minus 170 i don't like all that much"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Jun 6, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Steve Garcia

The MMA Guru picks Steve Garcia to win by late second or third round TKO via ground and pound. He criticizes Maheshate's competition level and suggests he was given a UFC contract for marketability. He notes Garcia's experience (fighting since 2012) and better opposition, including fights with Ricky Turcios and Louis Pena. He believes Garcia's pace and pressure will break Maheshate, who is too young and inexperienced. He also doubts Maheshate's ability to knock Garcia out.

tko to ground and pound late second third round

"steve garcia puts a pace on him breaks him down and he's the guy who's going to win like a shutout performance and i reckon get it done by like tko to ground and pound late second third round"

THE MMA GURU

Expert Picks (7)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Dec 11, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Rafa García

Has a moneyline bet on Rafa García; notes line movement

"I like Rafa here I think mahasete is definitely dangerous but he also gets taken down easily and Rafa Garcia has 18 takedowns in his last four fights"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Hesitant picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I am going to take Rafa Garcia to go out there um mixing takedowns and win a decision in this one"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

Garcia by decision

"Rafa Garcia again I'm leading towards another decision on this one... gotta go with Rafa Garcia"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I'll take garcia. That seems like enough"

MMA Vivisection

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Dec 14, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

"I'm gonna back my guy my shot the market is working its way away from me at this point... I'll take your two to one on this uh this whole Shoei operation uh I'll take my shot you get Rafa Garcia deal"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 13, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Rafa García

"I'm going half a Garcia here"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Lean picked Dec 15, 2022 (2 days before fight)

Maheshate

"I'll take mahashate just because I don't want him to make fun of me again"

MMA Vivisection

Rafa García

Maheshate

Career Averages - Rafa García

Career Averages - Maheshate

Rafa García

Maheshate

Rafa García - Fight History

Totals

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Significant Strikes

Significant Strikes Per Round

Play-by-Play

Totals

Per Round

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Significant Strikes Per Round

Play-by-Play

Totals

Per Round

Significant Strikes

Significant Strikes Per Round

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Maheshate - Fight History

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Per Round

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