UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has revealed that the UFC is open to the idea of a pay-per-view boxing match with Ryan Garcia.
Back in August, O’Malley became the UFC’s bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling in two rounds.
After the win, O’Malley quickly called for a boxing match with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
A few weeks later, he began to trade words with Devin Haney.
According to O’Malley, the UFC is not interested in having him fight Haney – because the MMA organization does not believe Haney has enough of a profile.
“The thing about Devin Haney is like, I’m not trying to throw shade or anything, but I’ve legit literally never watched him box one fight ever,” O’Malley said on his “TimboSugarShow” podcast.
“I didn’t even really know who he was until more recent. Like him, Gervonta, there’s a guy named like Shakur (Stevenson). I talked to the UFC about a potential boxing fight someday, and they were like, ‘No one knows Devin Haney. There’s a 0 percent chance that ever happens. He’s just not a star. No one knows him.’”
O’Malley is scheduled to have a rematch with Chito Vero in 2024, likely on a date in March.
He’s motivated to have a boxing match next year, and Garcia is a name that the UFC is willing to explore.
“I know that, I feel that, I know that I’m going to box one day,” O’Malley said on The MMA Hour. “Those guys aren’t really pay-per-view guys, they don’t really sell, they said the Ryan Garcia’s, like if any of them were ever to be a fight, like he would be the one that has the most potential for me. As far as just a big pay-per-view. The UFC said if it makes us money, we’ll do it.”
In his first bout since getting knocked out by Davis in April, Garcia will return to the ring against Oscar Duarte on December 2 in Houston, Texas.