Ryan Garcia needs a bit of Sean O’Malley contained in the octagon.
Throughout an look on The MMA Hour, Garcia boldly declared that he’s desirous to problem the UFC’s reigning bantamweight champion in MMA versus boxing. Garcia sports activities a 24-1 (20 KOs) document in boxing and has a extremely anticipated bout with Devin Haney arising on April 20, however he’s assured that he can step into O’Malley’s world and be victorious.
“I’ll beat his ass in MMA assured,” Garcia mentioned. “I’m a pure, you don’t perceive. I’m a pure wrestler. I simply beat my safety that’s a wrestler, I beat him. I’m sturdy and I’ve bought loopy conditioning.”
Garcia and O’Malley have publicly gone backwards and forwards about the opportunity of a boxing match, although O’Malley additionally has an vital battle arising. He defends his title for the primary time at UFC 299 in a rematch towards Marlon Vera, the one man to defeat him in MMA up to now.
A number of MMA stars have made profitable jumps from the cage to the ring, most notably Conor McGregor when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017, and simply this previous October when Francis Ngannou went the gap towards Tyson Fury. Neither McGregor nor Ngannou had their fingers raised of their boxing debuts, however Garcia believes that he’s certified to efficiently pull off the crossover.
“That’s already been completed,” O’Malley mentioned of organising a boxing match towards O’Malley. “I do know I’m going to knock him out in boxing, that’s not even truthful. What’s truthful is to check myself in MMA as a result of I do know if I put my thoughts to it and I skilled day-after-day, and I had Nate [Diaz] serving to me, even Alex Pereira, all of them, and I actually locked in, he is not going to beat me.
“I’ll include every thing I’ve and I’ll destroy Sean O’Malley. Within the UFC.”
In keeping with Garcia, it’s not simply speak. He claims that he has already put out feelers for the matchup and contacted UFC CEO Dana White.
“I’ve already despatched textual content messages to Dana,” Garcia mentioned. “I’ve already bought individuals which can be linked to Dana to ask him, let’s do that. I’ll come to UFC, pay me a bag, I’m there. I’m right down to do it after Devin Haney.
“All I do know is, Dana, hit me again, I’m making an attempt to beat Sean O’Malley’s ass.”
At 25, Garcia has already turn out to be one among boxing’s most talked-about stars, establishing a large following on social media and successful his first 23 professional bouts earlier than getting stopped by Gervonta Davis final April. “King Ryan” rebounded with an eighth-round knockout of Oscar Duarte eight months later.
O’Malley has skilled the same rise to fame since being signed out of the UFC’s Contender Collection in 2017. He gained the UFC bantamweight title this previous August with a second-round knockout of Aljamain Sterling, which pushed him to a different stage of stardom. Garcia sees moneymaking potential within the matchup and insisted that there’s no beef between O’Malley and him.
“I imply, he’s been calling me out for some time,” Garcia mentioned. “He referred to as me out first, let’s put that on the document. Second, he tried to assert my theme tune, Famous person. I got here out with that means earlier than he even considered it. I truly got here out with Lupe Fiasco myself. Don’t let individuals gasoline you up, brother, I got here up with that, you didn’t. You’re only a strolling Conor McGregor Jr.
“Every little thing relies off that. Now he’s coming into his personal, but it surely was all Conor. He bought the tattoo in the midst of his chest, the one distinction is he painted his hair rainbow.”
Garcia complimented O’Malley’s combating type, calling it “truly actually dope,” however nothing he’s seen from “Sugar” is placing him off from his request to duel O’Malley underneath MMA guidelines.
He’s even prepared to do it this yr after he’s settled his enterprise with Haney. Ideally, he’ll win that battle after which seek the advice of a dream crew of MMA fighters within the lead-up to the battle, together with Conor McGregor.
“I’m down for that,” Garcia mentioned. “Subsequent. Simply give me three or 4 months of simply MMA coaching, I’ll go beat his ass.
“I instructed Nate to coach me slightly bit. I’d even ask Conor to let me practice with him for slightly bit. Each month can be a brand new coach: Conor, Alex Pereira, Nate, and simply any person else. That might be sick.”
