We Might See Ryan Garcia Fighting in MMA Sometime Soon

After his impressive 7th-round TKO over Luke Campbell, Ryan Garcia has become one of the brightest young stars in boxing. Fans are eager to see who he will be facing off against next. Interestingly, there are new reports claiming we could see Ryan Garcia fighting in MMA sometime in the future.

This wouldn’t be the first time a boxer has made the move into the cage. Generally speaking, this does not work out very well. Now is a great time to talk about what could lead Garcia to transition into this new sport.

Let’s get into it!

Boxing’s Lightweight Division is Now Filled With Superstars

Looking back through the decades, you begin to see that the lightweight division in boxing has produced some of the biggest superstars in the sport. In recent decades, however, some fans have complained about the lack of talent in the 135-pound division.

That argument can no longer be made. There are now a huge number of world-class fighters competing in the lightweight division. Some are sitting atop the sport’s pound-for-pound rankings. We’ve seen several new champions crowned in this weight class over the past few years.

Vasyl Lomachenko ruled the division for years. Back in October of 2020, “Loma” was matched up against Teofimo Lopez. Most online sports betting sites listed Vasyl as the massive betting favorite heading into this matchup.

Incredibly, Lopez defeated Lomachenko via unanimous decision. This seemed to have brought new life into the division. Many are now speculating how Lopez would match up against fellow lightweight champions such as Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney.

Ryan Garcia is now also considered one of the best lightweight boxers in the world. He’s just 22 years old, yet already holds wins over several former champions. He most recently defeated Luke Campbell with a brutal body shot to capture the WBC interim lightweight championship.

Fans are looking forward to the day Ryan Garcia steps into the ring again. Unfortunately, an official opponent for him has not yet been named. Some are beginning to feel that Ryan could eventually make the move into a new sport entirely.

Here’s What Could Lead to Ryan Garcia Fighting in MMA

Boxing and MMA are connected in many ways. Both are combat sports with a similar fan base. There’s a subtle rivalry between the two sports, and many enjoy watching fighters from one make the move to the other.

This has happened several times over the years. It tends to go poorly for whoever makes that transition. Boxers making the transition into MMA, in particular, usually end in disaster. There are simply too many new skills needed for boxers to learn to be successful.

That doesn’t stop boxers from discussing this possible move. This week, Ryan Garcia discussed plans for his fighting future. To the surprise of his fans, the 22 years old champion revealed that he is interested in making a move into MMA sometime down the line.

“To answer your question, 26, I still plan to retire,” Garcia said You know what I’m willing to do? I really haven’t said this out loud but what I plan to do is, say at 26 I’m done retired and boxing is all good. You know what I’ll do? If they say, ‘Okay, you’ve beaten everybody in the ring, right?’ But somebody goes, ‘This ain’t real fighting. Real fighting is legs, choking, submission, all that.’ Guess what I’ll do? I’ll go to prove to them that I’m the best fighter all around in the world. “I’m talking about wrestling. I will go to MMA to prove a point that God is greatest and I will beat whoever in MMA that they say I won’t beat. If it has to be Conor McGregor, I will.”

It’s a bold statement from Ryan, who doesn’t appear to have any real experience in mixed martial arts. Confidence is key in the fight game, however, and that is something he certainly possesses. He seems focused on earning a shot at MMA’s biggest star, Conor McGregor.

Will we ever really see Ryan Garcia fighting in MMA? Probably not. Oftentimes, boxers begin training for the new sport and realize how different it truly is to boxing. Anything is possible, though.

In the meantime, the sport of MMA moves forward. Conor McGregor is now set to take on an old rival in one of the biggest UFC bouts in recent memory.

There’s Still Time to Bet on the UFC 257 Main Event!

It’s not much of a surprise to hear Ryan Garcia calling out McGregor. Conor is now the biggest star in combat sports. On January 23, he’ll finally return to the cage to take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch from their first fight back in 2014.

This is a massive fight for the UFC’s lightweight division. The winner is likely to find themselves competing for a belt the next time they step into the cage. A huge number of fans are now heading over to Bovada to place their bets on how this main event plays out.

Conor McGregor comes into this fight as the -275 favorite. He already holds a knockout win over Poirier in the past and seems to be in the best shape of his life right now. “Notorious” is even going so far as to predict another knockout in under 60 seconds.

You can never count out Dustin Poirier. He’s gone 5-1 since 2017 with his only loss coming against Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a more improved striking defense, he may be able to push McGregor into deep waters and get a stoppage in the later rounds. Bovada gives him odds of juts +215 to get the win, though.

UFC 257 is a fun card filled with great matchups. It will kick off 2021 in a big way for the UFC. We’ll be sure to offer an in-depth breakdown of the event’s results once it concludes. Make sure to stay tuned!

Do you think we’ll see Ryan Garcia fighting in MMA in the future? How do you think he would fare against Conor McGregor? Let us know in the comments section below.