Steve Garcia lists concerns about fighting outdoors from experience

Featherweight Steve Garcia, who faces Diego Lopes in the opening bout of the UFC's historic White House event on June 14, has voiced concerns about outdoor fighting conditions based on personal experience. While the promotion's first-ever outdoor card has drawn scrutiny from fighters, analysts, and UFC president Dana White alike, Garcia's worry stems from specific problems he encountered in his previous outdoor fights.

Garcia's professional debut in 2013 at the New Mexico State Fair grounds in Albuquerque exposed him to extreme heat—around 85 degrees—that created dangerous conditions inside the Octagon. Organizers repeatedly dumped ice onto the canvas to prevent fighters' feet from burning, but the moisture then had to be swept away to stop competitors from slipping. The situation was made worse when fighters found themselves on their backs: the heated canvas burned their backs during ground exchanges, turning what should be a fundamental fighting position into an uncomfortable ordeal.

His first outdoor experience came during his amateur days, fought at night with fewer complications. Though he dealt with insects and had to cope with repositioned lighting rigs that left the warm-up area dark, that event proved more manageable than his pro debut. Garcia's main reservation about the White House card centers on how well the Octagon will be shaded or otherwise insulated from the elements. "That's probably the only thing I'm a little nervous about—how well the Octagon is covered," he told Ariel Helwani. Given the lessons from Albuquerque, ensuring adequate temperature control and surface protection will be critical to preventing a repeat of the ice-and-slip chaos that nearly derailed his debut performance.