Speaking with Rich Eisen recently, Garcia said that he plans to retire from boxing in just four years.
“Yeah, I plan to. If I say it, I plan to do it,” Garcia said. “I plan at 26 to retire, I don’t know, officially. You’ve seen in the past, fighters have retired and come back. This is what I will say: I still plan to retire at 26, yet, yet if I am to return back to the ring, I will only battle people that people will say at that time “There’s no way Ryan will beat them.” That’s the only time I’m coming back and I will always give the glory to God after I win. That’s what I plan to do. All I box for is to give the glory to God, so once I win I say thank you Lord, Jesus Christ is coming, there it is. That’s my plan.”
Retiring young doesn’t happen all that often in combat sports, but what Garcia plans to do next is even more rare. When pressed on his decision, Garcia revealed that though he plans to step away from boxing at 26, there is likely a future for him in MMA after that.
“To answer your question, 26, I still plan to retire,” Garcia said. “But if I do return back in the ring, I will promise everybody that I will fight people that they say I won’t beat. You know what I’m willing to do? I really haven’t said this out loud but what I plan to do is, say at 26 I’m done retired and boxing is all good. You know what I’ll do? If they say, “Okay, you’ve beaten everybody in the ring, right?” But somebody goes, “This ain’t real fighting. Real fighting is legs, choking, submission, all that.” Guess what I’ll do? I’ll go prove to them that I’m the best fighter all around in the world. I’m talking about hands, I’m talking about wrestling. I will go to MMA to prove a point that God is greatest and I’ll beat whoever in MMA that they say I won’t beat. If it has to be Conor McGregor, I will. And I’m not saying this to get money. I don’t care about money. I’m saying this because that’s just how I feel.”
Garcia and former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo have already been engaging in a back-and-forth so that fight might make a lot of sense. Of course, a lot can change in four years but should Garcia actually transition to MMA, he would be among the most high-profile boxers to ever do so and he would have no shortage of possible opponents.
[h=1]TOP STORIES[/h] Weigh-ins. Max Holloway, Calvin Kattar on point for featherweight headliner.
Reefer. UFC, USADA make significant rule change regarding marijuana use for athletes under anti-doping program.
Class. Conor McGregor ‘not surprised’ Khabib Nurmagomedov would ‘scurry away’ into retirement rather than fight again.
Ponzi. From title hopeful to ‘fighting for my life,’ Santiago Ponzinibbio leaves struggles in the past for UFC dream.
NBK. Carlos Condit ready to ‘ante up’ again as he faces Matt Brown on final fight of current UFC contract.
[h=1]VIDEO STEW[/h] Fight Island 7 staredowns.
Between the Links.
Max Holloway looking back at memorable moments in his career.
Conor’s watch.
Garbrandt calling out Aldo.
Ranking Dustin Poirier’s opponents.
[h=1]LISTEN UP[/h] MMA Vivisection. Breaking down the fights at UFC Fight Island 7.
UFC Unfiltered. Interviews with Matt Brown and Matt Serra.
[h=1]SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE[/h] This is just wrong, but okay.
I agree, that’s because America has so many other amazing sports, America has mega stars all over the place. Our sports fans have guys like LeBron James, Tom Brady. A lot of these other fighters come from places where there’s no one else to watch https://t.co/rGcwtLhETe
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 14, 2021
RDA making his case to rematch Nate.— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 14, 2021
I promise if I ever fight Diaz again I won’t kick his leg
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) January 15, 2021
Partnership.— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) January 15, 2021
USADA.
Three UFC athletes achieved 25x perfect test history mark in December. Shout out to below UFC athletes for doing things the right way!@brianboom135 @CalvinKattar @TonyRoccoMartin
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) January 14, 2021
UFC 258 poster.— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) January 14, 2021
Tony.
“Who Would Have Ever Thought The Beasts Thrashing Would Clear The Boys Chi Flow” -Kung Fu Hustle (Funny Movie by Stephen Chow )
?? -CSO- Always Finding Myself In That Space Where People Tap... I Live In That Moment & Thrive. -Champ hash# YouAreIt Dope Fan Art pic.twitter.com/q3qVUNR8vE
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 14, 2021
Gotta say, Fiziev is becoming one of my favorite follows.?? -CSO- Always Finding Myself In That Space Where People Tap... I Live In That Moment & Thrive. -Champ hash# YouAreIt Dope Fan Art pic.twitter.com/q3qVUNR8vE
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) January 14, 2021
Good art.
[h=1]FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS[/h] Ryan Hall (8-1) vs. Dan Ige (14-3); UFC Fight Night, Mar. 13.
[h=1]FINAL THOUGHTS[/h] Pretty rich of Conor to talk about “scurrying away” from title fights when he has literally never defended a belt in his entire career.
Thanks for reading, enjoy the fights, and see y’all next week.
[h=1]EXIT POLL[/h]
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
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