Legacy FC 26 Date: December 6, 2013 Arena: Cowboys Dance Hall City: San Antonio, TX Featherweight title bout: Leonard Garcia (+100) vs Kevin Aguilar (-140) Fight Breakdown: The Main Event for Legacy FC 26 is for the promotions vacant featherweight title, and will be a war that fans won’t want to miss, as Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia takes on Kevin “The Angel of Death” Aguilar. The odds for Garcia are currently at even money +100 ($100 to win $100), making Aguilar a small favorite at -140 ($140 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. LEONARD GARCIA (17-11-1 MMA, 2-0 Legacy FC) is coming off of a very impressive third round rear naked choke submission victory over Nick Gonzalez at Legacy FC 23 just over two months ago. The win followed a third round come-from-behind knockout over Rey Trujillo in his promotional debut. Garcia hurt Trujillo with a kick to the head and followed it up with devastating shots to the body that forced the referee to step in. Garcia has a great chin and serious power in his hands. He can fight technically, if he wants to, but often gets carried away and turns back to his brawling style of fighting where he wings hard punches, looking for a home run. Garcia’s home is at Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuequrque, NM., but lately he has been splitting time between Jackson’s and Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, CA. Garcia puts in a lot of time with head/striking coach Duane Ludwig and also the best wrestlers at the gym, as he looks to improve on his weakness, which is his wrestling. He has poor takedown defense and opponents have been able to take him down at will and outwrestle him en route to Unanimous Decision wins, as was the story in his fights with Matt Grice and Cody McKenzie. Garcia’s cardio is hit or miss, but even when he’s not in great shape, he gives it his all and looks for a finish until the final bell. He is definitely not the type of fighter to give up in a fight, even when fatigue has clearly set in. In positions a lot of fighters would wilt, Garcia finds a way to push through, and that is one of the reasons why he is such a fan favorite. KEVIN AGUILAR (8-0 MMA, 2-0 Legacy FC) is undefeated with eight total wins in his young career. In fact, this past Tuesday marked the three year anniversary of his first professional mixed martial arts bout, where he scored a first round TKO victory. Aguilar has been known as a finisher throughout his career, as he has finished seven of opponents he has faced; two by tapout, and five by knockout. He is a tough kid with a good chin and a ton of heart. He has good footwork, and is very solid on the feet. He loves to hurt opponents with all limbs, especially his knees. Much like Garcia, this Texan also prefers to move forward and do damage, but his defense on the feet is much superior to Garcia’s, which is almost nonexistent. Aguilar is well-versed in the submission game, as well; both offensively, and defensively. Garcia will be his toughest test to date, and certainly the most experienced fighter he has ever stepped inside a cage against. A win over Garcia here could earn him a call from the UFC, or at the very least, get Sean Shelby’s attention, putting him on a ‘late injury replacement’ short list. Fight Prediction: I foresee this as being an exciting war on the feet where Garcia will land some good shots, but eats more, as I think Aguilar will be outstriking him, both in volume and damage. I will not be surprised to see Aguilar stop Garcia; I actually think there is a decent chance it could happen. However, I think a majority of the time, this fight will play out all the way to a decision, where I think Aguilar will get his hand raised. Gabe’s Pick: Kevin Aguilar by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Kevin Aguilar -140 3.5u to win 2.5u
