Is it really possible that Ryan Garcia and Conor McGregor could meet in BKFC?!
If you follow combat sports of any sort, your algorithm has likely been feeding you a steady diet of Ryan Garcia news. Frankly, it’s been hard to keep up with everything that Garcia has said and done over the last few months, but in the wake of his one-year suspension being issued by the New York State Athletic Commission last week, one of Garcia’s bold claims has stood out in particular.
Following Garcia’s win over Devin Haney, the 25-year old was found to have had Ostarine in his system, a banned performance-enhancing drug. The drug was detected in his system by VADA testing, and also by an NYSAC test (as reported by veteran journalist Dan Rafael). Garcia’s contention that the amounts of Ostarine in his system were trace amounts, and that they were due to contamination ultimately didn’t matter in this case. He and his team made a show of sending an opened container to an independent testing lab to prove that it was contaminated with Ostarine, however, that obviously is and was not a sufficient chain of custody nor a way of disproving the VADA testing. One way or another, Garcia had a banned substance in his system, whether through intentional ingestion or through the use of non-certified supplements, and will now suffer a year of inactivity.
Or will he?
Garcia’s suspension technically states that he cannot be licensed anywhere in the United States for any combat sport. Despite this, Garcia has called out both BKFC part owner Conor McGregor and UFC star Sean O’Malley for a bare knuckle fight.
"I like Suga Sean because he defended me, but if he really wants to run it in the UFC, I'll run it. Or bare knuckle. Shit, I'm ready to fight anybody at this point,” said Garcia in a clip shared by TMZ.
It should be noted that O’Malley himself tested positive for Ostarine in 2019, and has had somewhat of a feud with McGregor also, making this a bizarre trash talking triangle.
Garcia later took to X and aimed his ire towards McGregor: "If I see Conor McGregor I’m going to break your weak a** ankle,” he said. “Winner gets your trash ass whiskey brand (Proper No. Twelve).”
McGregor then went on a lengthy rant on X suggesting Garcia should be banned for life, and crossed the line as he tends to do by suggesting Garcia should take his own life. In more publishable chatter however, he offered to fly both Garcia and O’Malley to him to fight on the spot.
"I'll bust yous both up, do yous want a spar I will set flights right now for you both for a full on spar each. Hotel, black forge inn the lot,' replied McGregor. "I'll ride you both like yous are ostriches. WTF is up. What do you think are at?"
Once again, Garcia’s suspension dictates that he is unable to acquire a combat sports license in the United States. It would be very possible for him to be licensed in another country, which is a situation we see with some regularity in boxing. Fighters who are suspended in one jurisdiction or country often fight elsewhere. The Conor Benn saga of the last two years is the most obvious example, where Benn has been able to fight in the United States despite the barriers erected in the United Kingdom. In the bare knuckle space, Kamil Sokolowski is serving a ban in the United Kingdom, but has still competed for BKB (now BYB) in the UK anyway.
Ever the promoter, BKFC boss David Feldman is clearly hip to this reality, and told TMZ that he is willing to put Garcia on one of his company’s international shows. Of course, that would be dependant upon an overseas commission in the UK or Mexico or Spain where the company has footholds and upcoming events licensing Garcia, but it’s not at all an impossibility.
In fact, when it comes to Garcia, very little is an impossibility. His behavior has been anywhere from erratic to concerning to blatantly offensive depending on the day, but one thing appears to be true amidst a storm of boasts, half truths and outright lies: Garcia still craves the spotlight.
As with all fighters facing drug-related suspensions, Garcia has two general choices in how he handles this one year period: 1. He can stay relatively quiet, whether he disagrees with the ruling or finding or not, and then come back next year humbly. Or, 2. He can go full rogue, disputing the legitimacy of everything, keeping his name in the headlines, much like Benn did—except with many many added layers of theatrics.
Garcia may be a pariah in some boxing circles now for a variety of reasons, but it’s irrefutable that his name has never been bigger. Already one of the sport’s true crossover stars, Garcia is now tabloid-worthy in terms of his fame—and we’re not talking combat sports YouTube tabloids, we’re talking Page Six and TMZ.
One way or another, Garcia is determined to not let people look away. And what better way to do that than by having an unexpected crossover bare knuckle bout? If it were to materialize, regardless of whether Garcia’s opponent were McGregor or O’Malley or not, it would be the biggest show in the company’s history.
Garcia knows how to get into the headlines, and BKFC has never been adverse to things that would get them there also.
Ryan Garcia vs Conor McGregor could happen, because anything can happen when it comes to both Garcia and BKFC.
Photo courtesy: DAZN
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