Jul. 9—How much respect does Calvin Kattar command in UFC circles?

Consider that the 37-year-old Kattar has lost his last four fights and five of his last six — and yet is ranked 14th among UFC featherweights. Kattar actually moved up a spot in the most recent rankings, despite not having fought since February.

In terms of toughness and durability, Kattar has few equals. In 32 pro MMA fights, he's never been knocked out — stopped short of the distance in his 14 UFC fights only once, due to an injury.

An item that appeared on Reddit in October ranked Kattar as the third most durable fighter in the UFC ranks, having taken 754 head strikes without so much as being knocked down.

So, what does all that mean for Albuquerque's Steve Garcia, a dynamic striker who's scheduled to face Kattar on a UFC Fight Night card Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee?

Maybe, just maybe, a victory over Kattar will do for Garcia what his streak of five victories by knockout has not — put "The Mean Machine" into the rankings.

"Yes, I believe that," Garcia said on Wednesday by phone from Nashville.

Garcia also believes in the power of his two fists, which have KO'd, in succession, Chase Hooper, Shayilan Nuerdanbieke, Melquizel Costa, Seung Woo Choi and Kyle Nelson. He steadfastly believes he can become the first person to take Kattar out and make it six KOs in a row.

"This dude is super durable," Garcia said. "But I believe I pack the punch that will put him down. I do believe that, and I think I can get it done. I have to believe that I can."

That said, Garcia's focus has to be extending his win streak — not extending the KO streak.

"My coaches always tell me, don't get emotional to (one particular) way to win," he said. "Just make sure that you win. So that's what my mindset is."

Toward that end, Garcia has trained at Albuquerque's Jackson-Wink MMA to improve his game from top to bottom.

"I'm just trying to be as well-rounded as possible," he said. "I want to be as comfortable on the floor as I am on the feet.

"… I want to be able to dictate where this fight goes, no matter what, no matter where we end up."

Garcia last fought on Sept. 7, when he stopped Nelson (punches and elbows) in 3:59 of the first round. A scheduled bout in February fell through when prospective opponent Edson Barboza withdrew due to an injury.

For a full-time MMA fighter — Garcia no longer has a day job — 10 months without a fight is not ideal. But, thanks in part to UFC Performance of the Night bonuses he earned for the Hooper, Woo Choi and Nelson fights, Garcia could afford to be patient.

He rejected fights against fighters who offered little potential for advancement; other fighters declined to fight him.

"These past 10 months," he said, "I've been working on my craft. Getting better, trying to fill those holes in my game. Playing some golf, spending time with my family."

His MMA family will be well-represented in Nashville: Garcia's father, Steve Sr., will be joined in his son's corner by Jackson-Wink co-founders Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, plus Garcia's friend and teammate Diego Brandão.

Their message to him, and his to Kattar: "My goal is to be violent. … They pay me to be as violent as possible."

That attitude and those fists, one day, might earn for Garcia the kind of respect in the sport that Kattar has earned.

And, perhaps, beyond.

While Garcia's five-KO streak hasn't gotten him ranked, the entertainment value he provides has made him a regular participant on UFC main cards.

A prelim fighter in his first six UFC fights, he'll be fighting on the main card Saturday for the third straight time. The Garcia-Woo Choi fight was a co-main event on a UFC Fight Night card at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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