Suspended as he is from the sport of boxing for a year (and also fined to the tune of a little over $1 million), Ryan Garcia thinks he has the answer: move into another sport, another combat sport – MMA. And so Garcia, who has also seen his big April win over Devin Haney get demoted to a no-contest, has taken to social media, asking UFC boss Dana White to “hit me up” and offer him a fight in the cage.
Garcia, who still and always will maintain he did not knowingly take any steroids or illegal substances, wrote the following soon after finding out what his punishment was from the NYSAC for testing positive:
“I’m headed to the UFC. Dana White I want my 50gs ($50,000), for real Dana White hit me up,” Garcia wrote.
Garcia, who announced his retirement from boxing yesterday, this before he was hit with the one-year suspension, but it’s clear the 25 year old still wants to fight. Who knows what White will make of Garcia’s offer, whether the UFC boss will take it seriously or not? Indeed, can we take even half of what Garcia says seriously?
But, would we tune in IF Garcia did fight in the cage? To be honest, as much as a drugs cheat – or a sentenced drugs cheat – should be punished and not permitted to make a bundle simply by crossing over to a second combat sport, fans would pay to see Garcia fight in the UFC; at least once, the novelty value to go away if “KingRy” lost his MMA debut.
Garcia though, can he make the transition at this stage in his career? We have recently seen female stars/champions Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall switch to the cage, and they are both older than Garcia. So, who knows, with his fast hands, his quick reflexes, and his all-round athletic ability, maybe Garcia could make a splash in MMA. Maybe.
But when it comes to whether or not Garcia should be afforded the opportunity to compete in another combat sport whilst serving a drugs ban from boxing, well, that’s a whole other question.
Again, let’s see if Dana White shows any interest in Garcia’s offer!