UFC featherweight Steve Garcia recently appeared on the Smash Cast podcast with Ian Parker and Chael Sonnen, where he shared the unusual story behind how he secured a spot on the upcoming UFC White House card.
Garcia explained that everything began with an unexpected phone call from his manager early in the week, before any public announcements had been made.
His manager told him, “Look, man, Hunter wants to talk to you,” which immediately caught him off guard. What surprised him even more was learning that the UFC executive was already waiting on the line.
“He said, ‘I have him on the phone right now,’” Garcia recalled. “It was like out of the blue, random. I was like, ‘Oh, okay, cool. Wait.’”
Garcia said the conversation felt very different from any interaction he had previously had with UFC leadership.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, Steve, how you doing?’” Garcia said. “And I was like, ‘Hunter, how you doing, man?’ I’d never met him. Never had a conversation with him, nothing. I’ve talked to Dana, but I’d never talked to him.”
Rather than simply offering him a matchup, Garcia felt like he was being evaluated.
“He’s like, ‘Tell me about yourself,’” Garcia said. “It felt like an interview. It was an interview.”
According to Garcia, the discussion quickly turned personal, with questions about his background and character.
They talked about his family, his upbringing, and whether he had any history, something he understood given the high-profile nature of the event.
“We talked about making sure I didn’t have a cri me history,” Garcia said. “And I was like, ‘No, man, I’m squeaky clean, brother. I’m from Albuquerque, so I can see maybe where you’re wondering what’s going on here. But no, man, all I do is train, and I’m a family man.’”
Garcia also made it clear that he believed he deserved the opportunity.
“I show up at the Apex when there’s, what, three or four hundred people,” he said. “You know for sure I’m showing up to the White House.”
After the call ended, Garcia was left without a clear answer, and the uncertainty lingered for days.
“That’s a Monday,” he said. “And then I’m expecting to hear something from my manager throughout the week. Nothing. Dude, crickets. And I’m like, maybe I didn’t get it. Maybe I didn’t pass the freaking interview.”
The stress followed him into training, where he found himself reflecting on the situation during a long run.
“I just kind of had a moment,” Garcia said. “I was like, ‘God, if this is meant for me, let’s make it happen. If it’s not, just close that door.’ And I just kept visualizing my name on that screen.”
When the official announcement finally arrived, the emotional release was immediate.
“I ran to my… I have this place where I keep all my hats,” he said. “And I have a Fourth of July America hat. So I put my America hat on and just went running through the house.”
Despite securing the matchup, Garcia admitted he still doesn’t fully know what to expect from the historic venue. With rumors circulating about competitors potentially walking out from inside the White House itself, the situation still feels surreal to him.
“I don’t know if my family’s allowed to come. I don’t know if I get tickets,” Garcia said. “All I heard, and this is from interviews I’m doing, is that you’re walking out of the Oval Office. And I was like, for real?”
He added that the unusual setting has left him unsure about even the smallest details.
“I thought we were just going to have a little tent on the side,” he said. “Bro, I’m from New Mexico. Should I wear a suit in the back? I don’t know how to do this.”
