Garcia Wants To Help People In Need With His MMA Career

He may only be just two fights into his amateur MMA career, but Halifax’s Zach Garcia knows exactly what he wants to accomplish with the sport.

In addition to the natural dream of competing at the sport’s highest level, Garcia’s goals include combining his MMA knowledge with his career to help others.

Garcia, 28, obtained a bachelor’s degree in both psychology and social work at Acadia University and, combined with his knowledge in MMA and a passion for helping others, he hopes to open his own gym one day, as well as incorporate an MMA program specifically for troubled youths.

Growing up, Garcia found it difficult to stay out of trouble, getting into fights on a regular basis, and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

He said his decision to pursue a career in social work and helping youth in need was largely based on his own childhood and is a way of giving back to the people in his life that helped steer him on the right path.

“As a kid, I was always really angry and never really had any help, and if it weren’t for my mentors later in life, I’d be down a very different path.

“I’m grateful for them, and I wanted my professional job to be one that was based on paying it forward for what those people did for me. The last thing I wanted after school was to get a job that pays the bills, but that I hate, I’m not valued at, and I’m not making a difference at.”

Not only has Garcia’s education in the field of psychology led to a fulfilling career path, but it’s also been a significant benefit to conquering the mental side of MMA.

From the stress of a training camp and weight cutting to the wave emotions involved in being locked in a cage with another man, Garcia said he has the knowledge and power to not let those emotions get the better of him.

Prior to getting his start in MMA, Garcia played football at a high level throughout high school, as well as the university.

But following graduation from Acadia University and the conclusion of his football career, Garcia began to notice a void in his life that was once filled by football.

Following his football career, and now has been training MMA for six years, Garcia is well-versed in what it takes to be successful as an athlete.

And while he said there are plenty of aspects of football he was able to apply to his growth in MMA, Garcia said there are also just as many differences between the two sports that need to be realized in order to be successful.