It may seem too soon for Garza to make a run in the UFC. While I agree this is an uphill battle, I think the signing makes a lot of sense. Some will say it’s too early, but Josh Van had a similar record and career before joining the UFC. Now, Van is the flyweight champion. Garza even has a style similar to Van’s.
Garzy does have an unfortunate KO/TKO loss as a pro, but there’s no footage of it. It’s not all that surprising, though, because early in his career, he left himself open more than he does now. Another gray area on his record is his two submission losses as an amateur. I can comfortably say that while Garza can be taken down, his takedown defense has improved significantly. You have to time your shots perfectly against him, and the bigger problem is keeping him there.
Garza does all the right things defensively, fighting for underhooks and turning off the cage. Off his back, he does a good job of getting to a hip, creating space, and working to his feet. It’s also important to note that both of those amateur submission losses came by guillotine. That’s because he can leave his neck exposed while standing up. I’d much rather see a fighter get caught in a guillotine than something like a rear-naked choke. That usually highlights more of a mental mistake than a technical deficiency.
Outside of being a little too willing to engage, Garza is a nasty striker. He brings a boxing-heavy style to the cage, fighting behind a high guard, an active jab, and consistent body work. I always appreciate fighters who put a lot of emphasis on attacking the body. Garza throws hard lead hooks downstairs and mixes them into combinations, especially by going high and low in twos. His right hand is the real game changer, as that’s where most of his power comes from. He’ll often set it up with a left hook to the body, and he also does a fantastic job of countering an opponent’s jab or straight with a right hand over the top.
Garza is willing to sit in the pocket and hold his ground, but he’s at his best when he’s angling off, moving in and out, and creating new openings. Earlier in his career, he struggled to maintain his pace in deeper waters, but that’s night and day compared to where he is now. In his fights against Rosas and Walker, he maintained a high pace throughout. There aren’t many bantamweights who can match him in prolonged striking exchanges.
His chin is a slight concern since he’s been stopped by TKO and has been rocked a few times. As long as he fights smart, though, he should be fine, and fortunately, there aren’t many devastating punchers at 135 pounds.
“Mowgli” is basically going to grow up in the UFC, and he’ll undoubtedly face some setbacks along the way. Bantamweight is one of the deepest divisions in the sport, but I’d still pick him to beat around 55% of the roster right now. At just 23 years old, Garza has a very bright future ahead of him.
His debut matchup:
A lot of fans are going to believe Farid Basharat will run through Garza, and I understand why. Basharat is much more established and has already fought names like Taylor Lapilus, Chris Gutierrez, and Jean Matsumoto, so Garza is a clear step down in competition. With that said, Basharat has had stretches in those fights where he’s slowed down and looked underwhelming.
I think Basharat is going to need to wrestle to maximize his chances, and that’s something you can count on him doing, considering he’s landed multiple takedowns in every UFC fight. The key questions are whether Mowgli can consistently get back to his feet and whether he can do enough damage in the striking before the takedowns come.
I’m leaning toward Basharat because experience matters. I think he’ll be technical enough on the feet to stay competitive, mix in his wrestling, control enough fight time, and edge out the decision.
