Pablo Garza: “It wasn’t my dream to be in the UFC – it just happened.”

Featherweight Pablo Garza has won his two UFC fights by submission, including a highlight-reel finish of Yves Jabouin by Flying Triangle Choke at UFC 129 earlier this year. Garza (11-1) has defeated Jabouin and Fredson Paixao since suffering his first career loss to Tie Quan Zhang while competing under the WEC banner in 2010. Seven of his eleven career wins have come via submission.

Now, as Garza prepares for a bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos, he knows the pressure will only intensify from here on out.

“I never thought I would be fighting in the UFC,” said Garza, in a recent interview with the UFC’s website. “A lot of people in the UFC will tell you it’s been their dream since they saw Royce Gracie fight Ken Shamrock when they were a little kid and this and that. For me, I remember seeing those videos when I was a kid too, but I never had that dream of becoming a UFC fighter. I more fell into this. I fell into fighting because it was competitive.”

Garza played basketball in college for the University of North Dakota before embarking on a career in MMA through King of the Cage and Brutal Fight Night. “The Scarecrow” was on the Ultimate Fighter where he lost to Michael Johnson via decision.

“I played college basketball and got into MMA because it was competitive,” Garza said. “It snowballed and I ended up in the UFC. It wasn’t my dream to be in the UFC – it just happened. Now that I’m in it, I feel blessed to be in the UFC.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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MMATraining Take: Garza put his name out there with his submission victory over Jabouin because of how unique it was. However, with the amount of talent in the UFC right now, a win like that will only help if you continue to post victories. Poirier is a huge test for Garza and he will need to be on top of his game to pick up the win.