Garcia reveals UFC ran background checks before booking him for White House card

Steve Garcia did not know he was on the UFC’s White House card until his name appeared on screen during UFC 326 — and even then, the booking had only been confirmed after the promotion ran an informal background check on the featherweight veteran.

Garcia, who is riding a seven-fight win streak with six knockouts, received a call from his manager and UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell in the days before the announcement, with Campbell asking whether Garcia had a clean criminal record as part of the vetting process for the high-profile event.

“The ‘maybe’ part was maybe on Monday,” Garcia told MMA Fighting. “But I didn’t find out until Saturday really. In a way Monday I guess was kind of an interview. I talked to Hunter [Campbell], I talked to my manager. I guess they were feeling me out and wanted to know exactly what I’m about. They see what I’m about but they wanted to know my history, make sure I had a clean record. There’s a lot of things that go into fighting at the White House. I think I met all the criteria.”

After that Monday conversation, Garcia heard nothing further and assumed he had not been selected. “It was crickets after that. So I was like they probably won’t give it to me. There’s 700 fighters on this roster. Lo and behold, they picked me.”

The UFC is planning to host between 4,000 and 5,000 invited guests on the south lawn of the White House for the event, with no tickets being sold to the public. The security-sensitive nature of the show meant the promotion was carefully screening fighters before confirming the lineup.

Garcia said he had no concerns about what a background check would turn up. “All the clearances, all that stuff, I’m good with that,” he said. “I told them I was like all I do is train all day, I’ve done that my whole entire life. I think you’re good. I stayed out of trouble so we don’t have an issue there. Maybe that’s why they had to pass on a few different guys. I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Garcia found out he was officially on the card when his name appeared on screen during the UFC 326 broadcast alongside two-time title challenger Diego Lopes, listed as the opening fight. “I was just chilling there in my chair, wondering [if I got the fight],” he said. “It pops up on the screen and sure enough my name was at the bottom. I was hyped. I normally don’t get excited when I hear matchups but I was excited to see that one.”

The UFC had kept the entire White House card under wraps until that moment, and Garcia had been instructed not to discuss even the possibility of his inclusion.