Despite having some pretty big fights in their near future, Sean O’Malley and Ryan Garcia only seem interested in talking about each other.
This Saturday, March 9, ‘Sugar’ will put his bantamweight world title on the line for the first time as he meets the only man to have bested him inside the Octagon thus far, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. The fight will headline the promotion’s return to Miami for UFC 299 which also features a high-stakes lightweight clash between division fan favorite Dustin Poirier and rising contender Benoit Saint-Denis.
O’Malley’s fight with Vera hasn’t generated very many headlines in the weeks leading up to the long-awaited rematch. Instead, ‘Sugar’ has been embroiled in a feud with former interim WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia.
The 25-year-old boxing star made waves when he told Ariel Helwani that he would “destroy” O’Malley inside the Octagon. That prompted O’Malley to respond, claiming that he would “kill” Garcia “within minutes” should they ever step inside the cage together.
Sean O’Malley doubled down on that statement during a recent appearance on the PDB Podcast with Patrick Bet-David. Asked by the show’s host how long it would take for him to dispatch Garcia in an MMA fight, O’Malley optimistically said it would only take a couple of minutes, though he admitted to being humble in his prediction.
“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,” O’Malley said.
As Sean O’Malley closes in on his first main event as a UFC champion, Ryan Garcia is gearing up for his opportunity to once again wrap boxing gold around his waist. ‘The Flash’ is scheduled to meet Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight championship on April 20 inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.