Sean O’Malley has fired another salvo in his ongoing back-and-forth with boxer, Ryan Garcia. The two men have been involved in an exchange of words online which even led to Garcia calling out O’Malley for a clash inside the Octagon! In a recent interview on The MMA Hour, the boxer had stated, “I’ll beat his a** in MMA guaranteed.” However, the young boxing star has also been dealing with personal issues with his mental health as he posted a concerning video on social media recently.
As such, O’Malley responded by revealing what would happen if Garcia decided to challenge him outside of the squared circle of a boxing ring. And his comments highlight the massive danger Garcia will be in if he decides to challenge ‘Sugar’ in his domain of MMA!
Sean O’Malley hands Ryan Garcia a shocking reality
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The back and forth between Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia began when the UFC bantamweight champion floated the idea of a boxing match between him and Garcia. However, the boxer stated on his MMA Hour appearance, “I know I’m going to knock him out in boxing, that’s not even fair”
Therefore, to “test himself” he proposed an MMA fight between the pair instead. And so, during his recent appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast, O’Malley was asked by the host, “0 to knockout, how long do you think you’d need to get him done?”. He clarified that he was inquiring about a clash in the UFC and not boxing.
O’Malley bluntly stated, “So I think the fastest way to victory would probably be to choke him. I probably could choke him in a couple minutes…”, prompting an exclamation by Bet-David about it only being a 2-minute thing.
Sean O’Malley answers how long it would take him to finish Ryan Garcia in an MMA fight:
“I think the fastest way to victory would probably be to choke him. I probably could choke [Ryan] in a couple minutes… that’s being humble.”
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The UFC bantamweight champion then stated, “That’s being humble.”, highlighting the massive difference in skill sets between elite MMA fighters and boxers. And with O’Malley’s bold declaration, it’s evident that if a fight between the pair was finalized in MMA, Garcia may be in for a rude awakening.
But the hypothetical matchup aside, his upcoming clash at UFC 299 has also drawn some interesting comments about the challenger for his title from the champ!
O’Malley doesn’t think ‘Chito’ deserves a title shot
UFC 299 fight week is here, and it’s set to be a showdown in Miami, Florida. This event marks a significant step towards UFC 300, with fans buzzing about the stacked lineup. At the forefront is the bantamweight title bout between Sean O’Malley and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
O’Malley aims to avenge his sole career loss against Vera, who’s eager to dethrone ‘Sugar’ from the top of the division. Vera is entering the bout with a win against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292 in 2023, but according to the champ, it isn’t enough to make an argument for a title shot.
In an interview with ESPN, O’Malley stated, “There’s guys deserving. Cory, Merab [Dvalishvili]. You could argue those guys deserve a title fight over ‘Chito.’”
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While Vera boasts victories over legends like Dominick Cruz and Frankie Edgar, O’Malley is riding a six-fight unbeaten streak, highlighted by a knockout win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 that led to him becoming champion. As the tension builds for their rematch, fight fans are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this highly anticipated bout, which promises to be a thrilling showdown in the bantamweight division.
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Do you think Ryan Garcia would survive longer than 2 minutes in an MMA fight against Sean O’Malley? And what do you think about ‘Sugar’s statements about Marlon Vera? Share your thoughts in the comments below!