MMA Fantasy: What if Ryan Garcia fought Sean O'Malley in an MMA match?
Ryan Garcia has quickly become one of the most talked-about boxers in the world with his stunning win over Devin Haney. Unfortunately, the merits of his victory have been called into question due to a positive pre-fight test for ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug.
However, ahead of beating Haney, Garcia expressed an interest in MMA, singling out UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley as an ideal foe. While 'KingRy' is confident that he has the skills to emerge victorious, would he. He can certainly beat him in a boxing match, which O'Malley is interested in.
An MMA fight, though, is an entirely different story, and a humbling one.
A brief analysis of Ryan Garcia vs. Sean O'Malley in MMA
The truth of the matter is that Ryan Garcia stands little to no chance of beating Sean O'Malley in MMA. Most boxers are aware of this, which is why they rarely ever make the jump into the octagon, despite some of them proclaiming themselves superior all-around fighters anyway.
Only Claressa Shields has steeled herself enough to pursue the challenge of competing in MMA. However, her approach has been realistic, as she didn't immediately throw herself into the lion's den by taking on a Cris Cyborg or Kayla Harrison, despite those matchups being more lucrative.
So, how would Garcia do against O'Malley? First, he won't be nearly as effective striking in MMA. 'KingRy' is powerful, but defensively irresponsible, almost always dropping his lead hand after throwing a left hook. Moreover, he does the same with his right hand, leaving his chin exposed every time he commits to a power-punch.
While he has recently developed a strange take on the Philly Shell, he turns his torso almost all the way around, exposing his back and hips. In boxing, Garcia is safe, but in MMA, he leaves himself open to being tripped by a low kick or having his back-taken en route to a trip-takedown, neither of which he would see coming.
Check out Sean O'Malley's striking highlights:
Even if O'Malley isn't a takedown artist, he's more than skilled enough to take Garcia down. Furthermore, Garcia can't simply raise his hands for a traditional boxing guard in MMA, where the gloves are small enough for 'Sugar' to slip sniping shots through the gaps in his foe's guard.
This is to say nothing of O'Malley's masterful kicking game and use of feints. Garcia is not accustomed to the sheer variety of offense in MMA. Having to worry about potential kicks, knees, elbows, takedowns, etc., in addition to feints, will overload his decision-making process.
O'Malley, who matches him in speed, likely wins nine out of 10 times.