Boxing sensation Ryan Garcia is setting the stage for a possible shift from the boxing ring to the Octagon. He is currently eyeing a clash with the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.
The former interim WBC lightweight titleholder took to social media to issue a challenge to O’Malley. He implied that the two may compete under the UFC banner provided that UFC CEO Dana White makes a legitimate offer to arrange the crossover match.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Garcia reiterated his intent. He confidently expressed his readiness to face O’Malley in the MMA arena. Garcia emphasized his natural wrestling abilities and impeccable conditioning, asserting his capability to secure victory.
He said: “I’ll beat his a*s in MMA, guaranteed. You don’t understand, I’m a natural wrestler. I just beat my security who’s a wrestler. I beat him. I’m strong and I got crazy conditioning. I know I’m gonna knock him out in boxing. That’s not even fair.”
“What’s fair is to test myself in MMA because I know if I put my mind to it and train every day and I had Nate [Diaz] helping me, even Alex Pereira… All of them and I really locked in, he will not beat me.”
“I will come with everything I have and I will destroy Sean O’Malley in the UFC. I’ve already sent text messages to Dana [White]. I’ve already got people connected to Dana to ask him. Let’s do this. I’ll come to the UFC. Pay me a bag and I’m there. I’m down to do it.”
Responding to Garcia’s challenge, Sean O’Malley addressed the matter on the latest episode of his TimboSugarShow podcast. He expressed confidence in his ability to dominate Garcia within minutes.
O’Malley asserted his skills in various techniques, even suggesting he could defeat Garcia and Devin Haney on the same night.
O’Malley stated: “Brother, I would kill you within minutes. It’s just not even realistic. It’s crazy how stupid and delusional that is. I wonder if people think that when I call out boxers though. Is it the same kind of thing? It is a little bit crazy when I call out boxers. A little bit. Not a ton. Not 100% crazy, but a little bit. But when boxers say they want to fight in MMA, it’s 100% crazy.”
“I don’t even need to f*cking take him down. I mean I could take him down and and choke him, but I would kick him in the f*cking body. I would kick his little sticks. I would do whatever the f*ck I wanted to him. I could box him with MMA gloves. It’s a different sport with those little MMA gloves. The distance is different. I could beat him and Devin Haney in the same night, back-to-back. Pure delusion.”
While MMA competitors occasionally venture into the boxing world, it’s a rarity to witness prominent boxers willingly entering the space dominated by wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Notable instances include James Toney’s foray into the UFC in 2010, where he faced Randy Couture. As expected, he was swiftly taken down and submitted in the first round.
Before Garcia can entertain the idea of a UFC crossover, he must first focus on his upcoming bout against WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney on April 20.
