Boxing star Ryan Garcia is ready to step out of the squared circle and into the Octagon for a clash with reigning UFC bantamweight champion ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley.
Garcia — a former interim WBC lightweight titleholder — recently called out O’Malley on social media, suggesting that the two could tussle under the UFC banner so long as the promotion’s CEO, Dana White, comes correct with an offer to make the crossover clash happen.
I’d fight Sean O’Malley in the UFC that’s it but Dana you’d have to cut me that real check.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) February 25, 2024
‘The Flash’ doubled down on his comments during Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, noting that he would hand O’Malley an ass-whooping, whether it be in a ring or a cage.
“I’ll beat his ass in MMA, guaranteed,” Garcia said. “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.”
Ryan Garcia: "I will destroy Sean O’Malley. In the UFC. I’ve already sent text messages to Dana [White]" 👀
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 26, 2024
▶️ https://t.co/fh3Oa2ktaM #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/2TAANXIaLU
Sean O’Malley Responds to Ryan Garcia
Getting wind of Ryan Garcia’s comments, Sean O’Malley offered his response during the latest episode of the TimboSugarShow alongside his co-host and longtime coach Tim Welch.
“Brother, I would kill you within minutes,” O’Malley said. “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 it’s fairly commonplace for MMA fighters to test their skills in the boxing ring, it’s far less often that we see pugilists willing to step into a world where wrestling and jiu-jitsu reign supreme. The most notorious example came at UFC 118 in 2010 when multi-time boxing world champion James Toney fought Randy Couture in the Octagon. As expected, Couture quickly took Toney down to the mat and submitted him in the first round.
But before Ryan Garcia can concern himself with a potential UFC crossover, he’ll have to deal with his next opponent — reigning and defending WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney — when the two fighters square off on April 20.
Watch Sean O’Malley’s full response below:
