Ryan Garcia. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Is Ryan Garcia really considering trading the boxing ring for the UFC Octagon?

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/27/24

Former WBC super lightweight title contender Ryan Garcia (24-1) is one of boxing’s more recognizable names.

The 25-year-old California native is the No. 4-ranked lightweight by The Ring and the No. 6-ranked junior lightweight by ESPN, but he’s recently hinted he wants to swap his boxing gloves for MMA ones after calling out the UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley.

“I know I would knock him out in boxing, that’s not even fair,” Garcia recently said on “The MMA Hour.” “What’s fair is to test myself in MMA because I know if I put my mind to it and I train everyday with Nate [Diaz] helping me, even (UFC light heavyweight champion) Alex Pereira, and I’m really locked in — he will not beat me. I will come with everything I have and I will destroy Sean O’Malley.”

Sean O'Malley responds to Ryan Garcia's MMA callout

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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) February 27, 2024

Garcia maintains that his desire to fight O’Malley came about after the 29-year-old UFC champion started chirping at him on social media.

He stated O’Malley likes to steal things from other fighters and claim them as his own, like Garcia’s “Superstar” walkout music and the tattoo that he has that closely resembles Conor McGregor’s.

Though Garcia has no background in grappling, he’s been a professional boxer since 2016. He won his first 23 fights — 17 by knockout or TKO — before suffering his first professional defeat to Gervonta Davis (29-0) last April in a 136-pound catchweight bout.

Conversely, O’Malley has had a meteoric rise since a July 2017 appearance on the “Dana White Contender Series,” going 9-1-1 and capturing the UFC bantamweight title with a second-round TKO win over former champion Aljamain Sterling last August.

“I’ll beat his a—in MMA, guaranteed,” Garcia added. “I’m a natural. I just beat my security [guard] who’s a wrestler. I’m strong and I’ve got crazy conditioning. I’ve already sent text messages to [UFC president Dana White], I’ve 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.”

If Garcia and O’Malley fought, it would be the latest crossover fight between the two sports. Past super bouts have included Francis Ngannou versus Tyson Fury, McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather and James Toney versus Randy Couture.

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