Ryan Garcia recently opened up about trying BJJ and how it gave him newfound respect for MMA fighters.

While Boxing and MMA are some of the most grueling sports ever, the latter is considered a notch tougher because of the diverse skills it requires. Several MMA fighters have boxed professionally, while the vice versa has been quite a rare occurrence.

Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero face off (via Bleacher Report)

However, there has always been a general consensus that boxers look down on MMA. On being questioned on the same grounds by Ariel Helwani, Ryan Garcia seemed to have a different view. He recounted his recent experience trying his hand at BJJ and eventually being humbled. Garcia said:

I love MMA, man…Wrestling, I’m pretty good at, but I tried BJJ…I’m cool. At the end of the day, you guys will always be able to choke me out. I don’t even want to deal with it. I’d need five years of training or something to even try.

Garcia then went on to detail his experience training with ‘some high-level BJJ guy.’ He added:

I was kinda getting him in the wrestling aspect. Not getting him, but I was doing okay. But, once it went to the ground, it was like a spider monkey was on my back.

Check out Ryan Garcia’s comments below:

Ryan Garcia Will Take On Conor Benn next on the 12th of September

Ryan Garcia will defend his WBC welterweight belt against Conor Benn on the 12th of September, later this year. The fight is set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

While Benn is coming off a unanimous decision win over Regis Prograis at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this year in April, Garcia’s last fight was against Mario Barrios in February 2026, which saw “King Ry” earn a unanimous decision victory.

It is also worth noting that Benn now fights under Dana White‘s Zuffa Boxing, after leaving Eddie Hearn in a move that shook the boxing world.

Gerard Crispin

Gerard Crispin is an editor and writer with expertise across MMA, Football, Tennis, Cricket, NBA and F1. He has published over 3500 articles in Combat Sports, across multiple websites, viz. Sportskeeda, FanSided MMA, MediaReferee, FirstSportz and PFSN. Crispin currently covers UFC for LowKickMMA.