On Wednesday, Dana White took the combat sports world by storm by announcing one of the biggest boxing fights of the year. Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn will collide at T-Mobile Arena on September 12, with Garcia defending his WBC welterweight title against the No. 1-ranked contender in Benn. Though the 27-year-old is set to face a stern challenge, he’s so confident about beating the Englishman that he has refused to study his fight tape and even urged fans to bet against him.

“Oh, what?” Garcia stated in a clip shared by the Ring Magazine. “You fell? Where’s the remote? Yeah, one round is all I need to see, guys. I’m sorry to tell you guys. One round is all I got to see. Again, you guys can have your opinions, and what people, you know, people are gonna say a lot. I know what I’m gonna do, man. 

“Me at my best, at 80%, will beat this man. And I’m just telling the truth, guys. If you guys can think otherwise, you could gladly bet on him, put your money on it, if you really think he would beat me, bruh. Guys, please bet on him.”   

In the clip, Ryan Garcia could be seen trying to watch the fight between Conor Benn and Regis Prograis. The footage showed a moment from the opening round where ‘The Destroyer’ stumbled to the canvas, something the Californian found so underwhelming that he immediately stopped watching the tape. After seeing that first-round sequence, Ryan Garcia became so confident in his chances that he urged fans to bet against him, sarcastically implying they would lose a fortune by wagering on Benn.

Ahead of the fight, the 27-year-old’s unwavering self-belief could strike some as overconfidence. But he had previously backed up his words in far more dramatic fashion. Ryan Garcia reportedly placed a $2 million wager on himself before fighting Devin Haney and is said to have cashed out $12 million, pocketing a staggering $10 million profit as the major underdog. Yet, his victory over Haney was later overturned to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine.

When it comes to urging fans to bet on the opposite side, the Californian boxer isn’t alone. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley also told fans, “Don’t bet on me,” in an interview with Helen Yee before fighting Thomas Almeida at UFC 260, after some fans complained about losing money betting on him.  

With Ryan Garcia refusing to watch the tape and telling fans to bet against him, he has already begun the mental warfare against the 25-1 boxer. Also, the two boxing stars have already begun trading barbs on social media.

Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn reportedly go back and forth before the boxing match

At the T-Mobile Arena, fans can expect fireworks as Garcia and Benn collide with the WBC belt on the line. But before they throw hands, both men had already thrown some verbal jabs on social media, adding more heat to their rivalry.

“You talk too much,” Benn said. “I’m gonna smash your head in.”

“I told you in person you aren’t a good enough fighter to beat me,” Garcia responded. “You forced yourself into this position. I will show the lesson of rushing into something you just aren’t ready for.”

Though Ryan Garcia didn’t explicitly say it, he appeared to take a shot at Conor Benn by suggesting he had “forced” his way into the fight. After defeating Mario Barrios to win the WBC welterweight title in February, Garcia originally called out Shakur Stevenson. However, Zuffa ultimately put together the bout with the English superstar, whom they reportedly paid $15 million for the Regis Prograis fight.

That said, with Dana White successfully putting together one of the most anticipated boxing fights of the year, it would be a major victory for Zuffa. And with Ryan Garcia already harboring animosity toward Conor Benn, it will be interesting to see how the event unfolds.