There’s a brewing war of words between young boxing star Ryan Garcia and UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. O’Malley recently revealed his aspirations to compete in the boxing ring, drawing a dismissive response from Garcia on social media. When ‘KingRy’ advised O’Malley to “stay in his lane,” the latter fired back with a playful jab.

Garcia upped the ante by proposing a “tuneup fight,” a challenge that could potentially materialize into a future crossover matchup. Moreover, Garcia has tried yet again to raise the stakes since he’s stated that he wants to cross over to the MMA rather than encouraging Sean to step inside the squared circle.

Is Ryan Garcia looking past Devin Haney?

A long-awaited clash is finally set to settle the score between two of boxing’s most gifted young fighters. WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney will put his title on the line against Ryan Garcia in a highly anticipated bout on April 20th. The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY will play host to this battle for bragging rights, with DAZN serving as the official broadcaster. Reportedly, Garcia is already making future plans.

In a conversation on Clubhouse, Ryan Garcia talked about his plans which include fighting Teofimo Lopez, and also how he wants to try his hands in MMA if given the chance. Garcia stated, “First thing that comes to mind is Teofimo, second thing is me fighting Sean O’Malley in MMA. I’d beat him.”

In the past, many boxers have tried their hands inside the Octagon. However, the move hardly turned out to be beneficial, except for a few like Ray Mercer, Holly Holm, and Mia St. John. Well, it’s to be seen if he could walk in the footsteps of these great boxers, or will he just become yet another example of why the boxers should just stick to their sport. Despite all of this, he didn’t show animosity against O’Malley and commended him for his last performance.

Challenge accepted?: Here’s what O’Malley thinks about the Garcia fight

Prior to UFC 299, Sean O’Malley appeared on the PBD Podcast and talked about how a fight between him and Ryan would play out. He stated that he could do anything he wanted to Garcia inside the cage. He said, “I’d let people pick. I’d try to do some polls and say, ‘Do you guys want me to knock him out with my left hand, my left foot?’ I’d probably do some games and figure it out.”

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Amidst all the war of words, O’Malley successfully defended his title against the Ecuadorian Marlon Vera at UFC 299, and Garcia accepted his offer for an MMA fight. Garcia acknowledged Sean’s show of skill at UFC 299 and said, “He did alright. It was nice, it was good work fighting aggressive. But let’s see what Sean O’Malley can do coming forth.”

Nevertheless, Ryan Garcia vs. Sean O’Malley will be huge if it ever gets official, considering the star power both these athletes possess. What do you think about a potential O’Malley vs Garcia fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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