Leonard Garcia to fight against Zhang Tiequan at UFC 144 – UFC News
Chinese mixed martial art (MMA) fighter Zhang Tiequan will face American MMA fighter Leonard Garcia at UFC 144. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced the bout November 2011. According to UFC officials, the bout for
the featherweight division is set to take place on February 26, 2011 in Saitama, Japan.
Both fighters would be entering the UFC octagon ring to set their careers on a winning track. The two fighters have been on a losing trend. Garcia, the 32-year-old fighter from Texas, USA lost his last two bouts in succession. He lost to Jung Chan-Sung at UFC
Fight Night event in March 2011. His second defeat cam at UFC 136 against Nam Phan in October 2011. On the other hand, Zhang lost his bout at World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 53 against Danny Downes in December 2010. He did win a match at UFC 127 but he could
not win the next bout against Darren Elkins at UFC 136 in October 2011.
UFC 144 would be the event where the two fighters would focus only on winning their bout. The UFC and MMA community was enthralled to hear the news of the bout between the two fighters. They are also looking forward to see both take out each other in the ring.
Zhang was doing well in his MMA career. He had an undefeated streak since his debut into professional MMA in 2005. But in two years time, he lost two bouts which would be a matter of concern for him and his performance.
He would be facing Garcia on his home soil. This home ground advantage would help Zhang gain momentum in the bout against Garcia. The 26-year-old Zhang made his successful featherweight debut against Jason Reinhardt in February 2010. But he lost the second
featherweight bout he took part in his career.
Garcia would not let Zhang use any factor for his own advantage as the American MMA fighter needs a win. With two straight defeats looming on his head, Garcia cannot even think of losing the bout at UFC 144 in Japan. Speculations in the UFC and MMA circuit
are that if Garcia loses the fight against Zhang, then UFC may release him from the promotion for good.
Tags: