Rafa Garcia embracing UFC dark side: 'I've got to be mean'

LAS VEGAS – Rafa Garcia has flipped the bad boy switch on, and that's what's been responsible for his latest winning streak inside the octagon.

Garcia (19-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a veteran of the UFC lightweight division, picked up his third consecutive win in the UFC this past Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 274 at the Meta Apex. He did so by defeating Alex Hernandez (18-9 MMA, 10-8 UFC) in a unanimous decision. For Garcia, this latest run, which stands as the best run of his UFC career, has been triggered by embracing a darker side of himself.

"My mentality's changed a lot right now," Gracia told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 274 post-fight press conference. "Every time I go in there, I've just got to be that mean person, you know? I feel like a lot of people, when I'm in the gym and everything, tell me, 'Oh, you're so nice.' Like, 'Rafa's such a nice guy.' But I had to turn that switch up and every time I go in there, I've got to be mean – the meanest person ever. I don't talk a lot. I don't talk a lot of crap. But when it's time to show, I feel like I show. I go out there, and I'm not afraid to get in a war, just make it dirty. And I love a war. I love it so much."

Although he didn't get the finish, Garcia is proud of his showing at UFC Fight Night 274. People wanted an exciting fight, and the Mexican fighter feels he delivered just that.

"I'm just happy – happy with my performance, happy with the result," Gracia said. "I feel that I gave what the people wanted to see – a great war, a great fight and a bloody fight. I'm just happy. I love a street fight. I love the war. I love all this. It was definitely a fight that everybody was looking forward to."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Rafa Garcia embracing UFC dark side: 'I've got to be mean'