Boxer Ryan Garcia interested in transitioning to MMA with two former UFC stars in his corner
Ryan Garcia wants a crack at Mixed Martial Arts once he is done with the sport of boxing. For his MMA debut, Garcia intends to have former double champion Henry Cejudo and ex-Bellator champion Ben Askren in his corner.
Speaking with Ben Askren on Fierce Talk with Ryan Garcia, the 22-year-old boxing prodigy revealed his plans to professionally compete in MMA. Garcia is aiming to retire from boxing at 26 and wants to pursue MMA next.
Venturing into MMA won't be a walk in the park for Ryan Garcia as he is not acquainted with leg kicks and grappling. Citing Conor McGregor's recent loss to Dustin Poirier via calf kicks, Garcia clarified that he would only transition once he has all the required skills dialed in. Garcia is apprehensive about his squared boxing stance that may make his leg vulnerable to kicks.
The WBC interim lightweight champion thus requested the NCAA Division-1 wrestling champion for some sessions if the move to MMA ever materializes.
"I'm gonna need you to teach me some wrestling techniques before I start to dive in there. I plan to beat everybody I want to beat in boxing... nobody has ever dominated boxing and then tried to dominate the UFC," said Ryan Garcia.
"I wouldn't do it unless I knew that I could compete. I wouldn't go there with a blind eye... I need to know how to get away from a takedown, take a leg kick," he added.
Ryan Garcia addresses his feud with Henry Cejudo
After Henry Cejudo announced his retirement at UFC 249, Ryan Garcia offered to fight the 'Triple C' in a boxing match. Garcia claims to be gutted for Cejudo as the former Olympic champion was getting underpaid by the promotion.
But things escalated when Henry Cejudo started firing multiple shots at Garcia on Twitter. A back-and-forth between the two athletes ensued and Garcia eventually became disinterested in fighting Cejudo.
"I felt like he was retiring because he wasn't getting paid enough. I was like, if you want we could do a fight... he just really pushed for that fight, too much. I kind of had to pull it back", said Ryan Garcia.
Although there is a feud lingering between Ryan Garcia and Henry Cejudo, 'King Ryan' acknowledged the diverse skillset of the former Olympic gold medalist. For his MMA debut, Garcia wants Ben Askren and Henry Cejudo to be his cornermen.
"Let's do it, I'm down to hang out with both of you guys. You guys turn me into a monster. I got Henry Cejudo and Ben Askren in my corner, that's pretty devastating."