Ryan Garcia has been in the headlines lately, catapulted back into the limelight following his interview with internet sensation Bobbi Althoff. So who is he? Well, the 35-year-old is an American professional boxer, having previously held the WBC interim lightweight title back in 2021. He had wanted to be a professional boxer from a young age and amassed a pretty impressive amateur record of 215–15. He was born in America but part of his heritage is from Mexico, which comes through when you look at the colors of his kit and also the flags of both the US and Mexico that he carries into the ring. If you’re a fan of the UFC, there are many ways to watch the top fights, including on a UFC live stream and also on pay-per-view.
Why would he move over?
And although he’s known for being a professional boxer, could we see him make a move over to the sport of UFC? This wouldn’t be the first time that this move has been made by a professional boxer; likewise, you also see a lot of professional former UFC fighters making the switch to boxing, one of the most famous examples being Conor McGregor, who fought the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. Well, the reason for this speculation is that there are rumours that current bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has been speaking to contacts within the UFC hierarchy about a potential future fight with Garcia.
Garcia’s current form
So where has this potential link-up come from? Well, the last fight Garcia had against Devin Haney proved not only his competency as a fighter but also his versatility. Throughout the fight, he knocked his opponent down three times and although the fight went all the way to the end, it was definitively ruled that Garcia won. Prior to this fight, O’Malley had wanted to see the two go head-to-head but this has only added fuel to the fire. However, not everyone is fond of crossovers between the two sports, and even the CEO of the UFC has said that they should stay in their respective sports. Meaning that the fight might not even be endorsed or allowed to go ahead.
When could it happen?
Although it doesn’t look like the fight will be happening anytime soon, which may come as a bit of a disappointment to those of you wanting to see it happen in the forthcoming months, O’Malley has reiterated that he wants to focus on his own career and get at least two more fights in, the first of which is going to be a title defence against Merab Dvalishvili. Although his intention is to have it as soon as possible logistically, it isn’t feasible at the moment due to the present UFC schedule working against it. Likewise, he is adamant that the fight takes place in the US and will not be fought overseas, and that is where the next few events are being held in the present UFC calendar.
In Summary
So, looping back to the original question, it does look highly likely that Garcia will indeed fight in the UFC in the future. Although whether the swap is permanent has yet to be seen and, more than likely, will also depend on how the fight goes, If Garcia ends up winning his debut fight within the UFC, the probability will then massively increase that he will continue to fight rather than going back to boxing. And as we’ve covered, it also depends on whether the fight is approved and given permission by the UFC hierarchy; however, the general consensus is that this particular fight might be given an exception, just like the Conor MacGregor and Floyd Mayweather bout.