Pablo Garza (born September 16, 1983) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division. He has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, WEC, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck.

Background

Garza was born in

Wasco, California Wasco (formerly, Dewey and Deweyville) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Wasco is located northwest of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield, at an elevation of . The population was 25,545 at the 20 ...

to parents who both emigrated from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Garza and his family moved to North Dakota, where he attended high school and played baseball, basketball, and track. He continued to play basketball in college for two years at the

University of Jamestown , mottoeng = Light and Truth , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Christian , endowment = $45 million , staff = , faculty = , president = Polly Peterson , ...

, as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

. He eventually earned a degree in exercise science and personal training at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

. While Garza was in college, he worked two jobs at a factory making windmill blades and also did an internship at a gym.

Early career

Garza trains out of Dylan Spicers' MMA gym the Academy of Combat Arts in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

, as well as the Academy in

Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Township. I ...

with the likes of

Jacob Volkmann Minnesota Golden Gophers Jacob Joseph Volkmann (born September 5, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Volkmann has formerly competed for t ...

Nik Lentz Nik Lentz (born August 13, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the lightweight division. Background Lentz was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in Twin ...

, Pat Barry and coach Greg Nelson. Garza is a predominantly ground-based muay thai fighter, where he has managed to secure several

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

victories. A

-based Mexican American from

Grafton, North Dakota Grafton is a city in the State of North Dakota and is the county seat of Walsh County. As of the 2020 Census, the city of Grafton had a population of 4,170, making it the fifteenth largest city in North Dakota. Grafton was founded in 1881. Hi ...

, Prior to joining the UFC, Garza appeared for promotions such as

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

and Brutal Fight Night.

The Ultimate Fighter

Garza then signed with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

to appear on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck''. In the debut episode, Garza lost to touted prospect Michael Johnson in a two-round decision.

Outside promotions

After leaving the UFC, Garza fought in smaller, outside promotions. Before his ''Ultimate Fighter'' fight with Michael Johnson had even aired on television, Garza faced William Joplin, winning via unanimous decision. The fight, which was predominantly stand-up based, saw Garza break the nose of Joplin, before taking control of the fight. Garza then faced Aaron Steele on September 11, 2010. In preparation for the fight, Garza visited

Minnesota Martial Arts Academy The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy is a martial arts training center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. It was founded in 1992 by Greg Nelson, a former NCAA Division 1 wrestler at the University of Minnesota. History The Academy provides training in ...

, training with

Sean Sherk Sean Keith Sherk (born August 5, 1973) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former UFC Lightweight Champion. Sherk competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was one of the first combatants to have been a championship competito ...

and Greg Nelson. Garza went on to win the fight via TKO (punches) late in the third round.

World Extreme Cagefighting

Garza was then signed by the UFC's sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting. Replacing

Jason Reinhardt Jason Reinhardt (born October 31, 1969) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor from 2000 until 2011, Reinhardt fought in the UFC and King of the Cage. Mixed martial arts career Early career After compiling a 1-0 amate ...

, Garza stepped up to face

Tiequan Zhang Zhang Tiequan, or Zhang Tie Quan (, born July 25, 1978), often anglicized to Tiequan Zhang, is a Chinese mixed martial artist, who last competed as a Lightweight in the UFC. A professional competitor since 2005, Tiequan spent most of the beginni ...

on the undercard of

WEC 51 ''WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. This was the only event that the WEC hosted in Colorado. Backg ...

on 5 days notice. He lost the fight via

in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Garza made his UFC and featherweight debut against

Fredson Paixão Fredson Paixão Melo (; born May 13, 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor. He has competed as a featherweight in the United States with the UFC and WEC, in Japan with Deep, and in Brazil with Jungle Fig ...

at The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale. This was the first ever featherweight fight in the UFC. Garza knocked Paixão out 51 seconds into the first round with a flying knee. After being unconscious for nearly two minutes, Paixão was on his back for close to four minutes while being given oxygen, before being placed in a

neck brace A cervical collar, also known as a neck brace, is a medical device used to support and immobilize a person's neck. It is also applied by emergency personnel to those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries, and can be used to treat chronic m ...

and carried out on a stretcher. Garza earned ''Knockout of the Night'' honors for the performance. Garza defeated

Yves Jabouin Fernand Yves Jabouin (born May 30, 1979) is a retired Haitian-Canadian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Jabouin also formerly comp ...

on April 30, 2011 at

UFC 129 ''UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the sixth that the UFC has hosted in ...

via first round submission due to a flying triangle choke. The finish earned him ''Submission of the Night'' honors and $129,000. Garza faced

Dustin Poirier Dustin Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. As of May 9, 2022, he is #2 in the UFC lightweight rankings and as of October 24, 2022, he is #11 in the U ...

on November 12, 2011 at

UFC on Fox 1 ''UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 1'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 12, 2011 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background This card marked the ...

. He lost the fight in the second round after tapping out to a d'arce choke. Garza next faced

Dennis Bermudez Dennis Ross Bermudez (born December 13, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the UFC. Bermudez has been a professional MMA competitor since 2009. He has made a name for himself mainly fi ...

UFC on Fox 3 ''UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 3'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 5, 2012 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Background Dennis Hallman was expected ...

on May 5, 2012. He lost the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Garza was expected to face

Josh Grispi Josh Richard Grispi (born October 14, 1988) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2014, he has competed for the UFC and WEC. Background Grispi, a talented hockey player, was kicked ...

on August 4, 2012 at

UFC on FOX 4 ''UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 4'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background Chad Griggs was expected to fa ...

. However, Garza was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

. Garza faced

Mark Hominick Mark Jeffrey Hominick (born July 22, 1982) is a Canadian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he was the inaugural Featherweight title challenger, the WEC, and Affl ...

on November 17, 2012 at

UFC 154 ''UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 17, 2012, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background Parent company Zuffa, LLC produced a UFC Pri ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Garza faced

Diego Brandão Diego Pereira Brandão (born 27 May 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2005, he formerly competed for the UFC, RIZIN, and Fight Nights Global. He was the winner of ...

on April 6, 2013 at

UFC on Fuel TV 9 ''UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi'' (also known as ''UFC on Fuel TV 9'' or ''UFC Sweden 2'') was a mixed martial arts event held on April 6, 2013, at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The event was broadcast live on Fuel TV. Ba ...

. He lost the fight via first round submission and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post UFC

Shortly after his release from the UFC, Garza relocated to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It was expected that he would receive offers from the elite European MMA promotions such as Britain's

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage War ...

and

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

or Sweden's Superior Challenge. However, Garza has not competed since his release from the UFC.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on Fuel TV: Mousasi vs. Latifi , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (D'Arce choke) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:32 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Submission (flying triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, KO (flying knee) , The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 , Las Vegas, Nevada, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 ,

Zhang Tiequan Zhang Tiequan, or Zhang Tie Quan (, born July 25, 1978), often anglicized to Tiequan Zhang, is a Chinese mixed martial artist, who last competed as a Lightweight in the UFC. A professional competitor since 2005, Tiequan spent most of the beginni ...

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Aaron Steele , TKO (punches) , Crowbar MMA: Fall Brawl , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , William Joplin , Decision (unanimous) , The Cage Inc.: Battle at the Border 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hankinson, North Dakota Hankinson is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 921 at the 2020 census. Hankinson was founded in 1886. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office has been ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Nate Bell , Submission (punches) , KOTC: Ice Age , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Mahnomen, Minnesota Mahnomen ( ) is a city in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States, along the Wild Rice River. The population was 1,214 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mahnomen County. U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota State Highway 200 are two of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jayson Fuentes , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EB: Beatdown at 4 Bears 6 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:54 ,

New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Caleb Wolff , Submission (armbar) , Brutaal Fight Night: All American Cage Fighting , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mitch Jackson , Submission (triangle choke) , Max Fights 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jonathan Knutson , Decision (unanimous) , EB: Beatdown at 4 Bears 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tyler Larson , Submission (kimura) , Max Fights 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mike Davis , Submission (guillotine choke) , KO: Productions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, United States ,

References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garza, Pablo Mixed martial artists from North Dakota American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Living people 1983 births American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota People from Wasco, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters