UFC Fight Night 259: Rafa Garcia vs Jared Gordon Preview & Prediction
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At the midway point of the main card, fan favorite Jared Gordon takes on Rafa Garcia in what is likely to be a hard fought lightweight bout.
Rafa Garcia vs Jared Gordon facts
What time are Rafa Garcia and Jared Gordon expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva? Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 259
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva main card
Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva (Featherweight)
Rob Font vs David Martinez (Bantamweight)
Rafa Garcia vs Jared Gordon (Lightweight)
Kelvin Gastelum vs Dustin Stoltzfus (Middleweight)
Santiago Luna vs Quang Le (Bantamweight)
UFC Fight Night 259: Lopes vs Silva prelims
Alexander Hernandez vs Carlos Diego Ferreira (Lightweight)
Jose Daniel Medina vs Dusko Todorovic (Middleweight)
Claudio Puelles vs Joaquim Silva (Lightweight)
Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Lemos (Women’s Strawweight)
Jesus Santos Aguilar vs Luis Gurule (Flyweight)
Zachary Reese vs Sedriques Dumas (Middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Alden Coria (Flyweight)
Montserrat Rendon vs Alice Pereira (Women’s Bantamweight)
Rodrigo Sezinando vs Daniil Donchenko (Welterweight)
Rafa Garcia: Can "Gifted" derail his American dance partner for his second win of the year?
A persistent wrestler with eight victories by submission, Rafa Garcia (16-4) returns off the back of a unanimous decision victory over Vinc Pichel in March. Arriving in the promotion with an undefeated record of 11-0, "Gifted" has been with the UFC since 2021, posting a 4-4 record since coming up short to Nasrat Haqparast in his debut. With just a single stoppage in nine UFC fights, Garcia isn't much of a finishing threat, but he's proven to be a consistently tough out in the promotion. The 31 year old Mexican fighter has only ever been finished once throughout his professional career, losing by TKO to Grant Dawson last October.
Jared Gordon: "Flash" returns following an extremely impressive KO victory over Thiago Moises last time out
Boasting one of the most inspirational life stories in MMA history, former heroin addict Jared Gordon (20-7-1) has been a UFC mainstay for the better part of a decade. "Flash" has fought the likes of Charles Oliveira, Grant Dawson, and Paddy Pimblett throughout his UFC tenure, with his 2022 decision loss to the streaking Scouser widely touted by MMA fans as one of the most egregious robberies in recent memory. An excellent clinch fighter and crisp boxer, Gordon typically brings a relentless pressure style to his fights. The American attempts to drown his opponents in volume, pushing high output numbers wherever the fight takes place.
Rafa Garcia vs Jared Gordon prediction
There's a solid argument to be made that Gordon is one of the unluckiest fighters in modern UFC history.
Outside of the infamous robbery loss to Paddy Pimblett, the American got flatlined with a head butt against Bobby Green in a fight that he was contentiously winning and lost another highly controversial decision to Nasrat Haqparast; he could easily be 5-0 against some extremely solid names since 2022. As such, while "Flash" is a sizable favorite with the bookmakers here, it would not be surprising in the slightest if the MMA gods decide that Gordon is due another banana skin.
However, contentious decisions and freak accidents aside, Gordon tends to only lose to fighters who are able to overwhelm him with sheer physicality to score the finish. With just a single knockout in his entire career, Garcia does not look to fit the mold of opponents who have been able to chin "Flash" in a firefight. While he does have eight wins by submission, he hasn't scored a win by tap out since 2022, while Gordon has also historically proven to have solid grappling and scrambling ability.
It's highly likely that Gordon will consistently outland Garcia if he is able to keep the striking exchanges at range, and he's even proven capable of scoring KOs in his last few outings. If he can avoid prolonged grappling exchanges with "Gifted," this looks to be his fight to lose.
Prediction: Jared Gordon to win
