Devin Haney has watched his upcoming opponent, Ryan Garcia, express interest in a UFC fight with Sean O’Malley. But when asked if Garcia would ever have a chance in the octagon with O’Malley, Haney’s answer was quick and honest.
“F*** no,” Haney said on The MMA Hour.
Haney and Garcia meet in the boxing ring on April 20 in a highly anticipated matchup at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
While Haney confidently picked O’Malley in an MMA fight, he would pick Garcia with the same confidence in a fight against the UFC bantamweight champion in the squared circle.
“Sean is MMA, that’s where he’d dominate,” Haney said. “Ryan is boxing, he’d dominate in boxing.”
Haney was also asked about his opponent’s social media beef with O’Malley and why boxing pundits might think Garcia’s eyes may not be on the prize.
The undefeated 25-year-old doesn’t care which version shows of Garcia up in April, but he does expect the best Garcia to step into the ring with him.
“If he’s f***** up mentally, he’s f***** up mentally,” Haney said of Garcia. “If he’s playing mind games, tricks, antics … you’ve got to remember this guy’s an actor, a TikToker. He’s a YouTuber, I don’t take him serious.”
The question was also asked to Haney about an on-the-books MMA vs. boxing matchup, with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou taking on Anthony Joshua March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Haney admits he, perhaps, didn’t give Ngannou enough credit heading into his boxing debut against Tyson Fury, where Fury squeaked out a decision victory. This time around, Haney is giving Ngannou his proper respect. He still doesn’t think the PFL fighter will win, but also won’t be surprised regardless of what happens.
“The heavyweight division is just different,” Haney said. “[Ngannou] is a freak. [He dropped Fury with] one punch.
“I think he has that neutralizer, I think he’s very strong, he’s literally a freak. You can’t count him out. But I do think A.J. is going to win, yes, but [Ngannou] is just not somebody you can count out.”
