- Ryan Garcia asked Dana White to let him fight Sean O’Malley in the Octagon
- O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in March
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Boxing legend turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya proposed an MMA fight between himself and UFC president Dana White.
Golden Boy’s pitch came days after his client Ryan Garcia begged White to let him fight UFC bantamweight king Sean O’Malley in the Octagon. Should the two high-level strikers meet in the cage, the 51-year-old believes he and White are the rightful co-headliners.
De La Hoya appeared on the MMA Hour on Monday and pitched his idea to host Ariel Helwani.
“I would actually like that because Ryan can fight this kid in the main event. And maybe I can play Dana on the co-main,” De La Hoya said.
With White and De La Hoya’s sour history, Helwani pointed out that it would be impossible to bring the event to a successful conclusion. However, De La Hoya insisted that he and the UFC president are “cool.”
Oscar De La Hoya challenged UFC President Dana White to fight on Monday’s MMA Hour
De La Hoya said he and White should co-headline if Ryan Garcia vs. Sean O’Malley becomes a reality
‘We’re cool. I mean, I don’t know if we’re cool. I don’t even talk to that man,” De La Hoya claimed.
“You put something out there where you said you wanted to bury the hatchet,” Helwani noted.
‘Yes it’s going well. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work on it.’
Garcia’s desire to fight O’Malley in the UFC came to light during the lead-up to his fight with Devin Haney on April 20. On the other hand, O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299 on March 9.
Garcia claimed he wants to fight O’Malley in the UFC as he prepares to fight Devin Haney
O’Malley will make his first UFC title defense against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299 in March
“I was supposed to fight Sean O’Malley in the UFC that’s all, but Dana you should give me that real check,” Garcia tweeted on Saturday. He also appeared on Helwani’s program on Monday and doubled down on his winnings, saying: ‘I would be guaranteed to beat his top in MMA.’
“Brother, I will kill you in minutes,” O’Malley wrote in response.
As his fighter traded verbal blows with O’Malley, De La Hoya acknowledged the rising UFC star’s talent in the same interview.
“I like him, he’s a good striker,” De La Hoya said. “It would be a great promotion.”