Rafa Garcia embracing pressure to perform in front of home fans at UFC Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Rafa Garcia met the media Wednesday ahead of his fight at UFC on ESPN 64.

Garcia (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) takes on Vinc Pichel (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) on the preliminary card at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. At the event’s media day, Garcia took questions from media members before his fight.

Garcia, a 30-year-old from Mexico, said he’s excited to finally get to fight in his home country for the UFC.

“I’ve been raising my hand for a while for a Mexican card – whether it was Noche UFC (this past in September) or something like this,” Garcia told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “It’s so exciting and I’m just ready to go out there and put on a show. Noche was incredible – man, I wish I would have been a part of that.

“I’m excited to fight in Mexico City, but I also feel the pressure to put on a show for the fans and give them what they want. They want to see action. They want to see me going forward and going out there and going to war.”

Garcia’s UFC run has been up-and-down with a trio of decision losses and a TKO setback to newly ranked lightweight Grant Dawson in his most recent trip to the cage. But his wins are against solid names of both up-and-comers like Natan Levy and vets like Clay Guida.

Coming off the fight with Dawson, which is the only stoppage loss of his career, Garcia seems eager to change the narrative against “Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 cast member Pichel.

“I know he’s a super tough opponent,” Garcia said. “We brought people in to mimic him. He’s a veteran – he’s been in the sport for a while. He’s got a lot of experience, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

Check out Garcia’s full media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.