Mikey Garcia Says He's In Talks With Dana White Over Possible UFC Fight

KEY POINTS

Mikey Garcia confirmed discussions with UFC president Dana White over a possible UFC fight
Garcia said he would need at least a year of MMA training first before the fight can happen
The 32-year-old claimed he will be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent and not Conor McGregor

Welterweight boxing champ and Manny Pacquiao’s potential future opponent, Mikey Garcia, has confirmed that he has been in contact with UFC president Dana White for a possible UFC fight.

In a recent interview with Elie Seckbach of EsNews, the former multi-division champ and reigning WBC Diamond welterweight champion revealed that he is in talks with White regarding his participation in the promotion’s UFC Fight Pass.

The 32-year-old added that he and White are also considering the idea of a UFC fight for him. However, Garcia made it clear to the UFC boss that he needs enough time to prepare himself for an MMA debut.

“I got a meeting with Dana,” Garcia said. “[For] UFC Fight Pass. I’m gonna do shows with them. And then maybe a UFC fight too.”

“But I told them ‘you gotta give me at least a year of training,’” he continued, before adding that he would need to get started on training as soon as possible with a “real” coach.

Garcia is currently competing at the 147-pound division but has no problem cutting a few pounds in order to make UFC’s featherweight division (145 pounds). Though Garcia hasn’t name-dropped a possible UFC opponent yet, he is well aware that he could make a huge amount of money with the promotion.

“How much money do you think I can get?” the boxing champ teased.

This wasn’t the first time Garcia had opened up about fighting in the UFC. In December 2019, the California native said he isn’t prepared for MMA yet but would give it a go if the price is right.

“But if the opportunity is right, right fight, the right money, yeah!” Garcia said last year of fighting in the UFC.

At present, Garcia has his eyes locked on one man – Pacquiao. In a recent talk with Fighthype.com, the former lineal junior welterweight titleholder claimed that Pacquiao is “100%” fighting him next and not UFC star Conor McGregor.

“Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is not Conor McGregor,” Garcia said. “Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is with me. So McGregor has to take a number. McGregor’s next fight might be against Manny Pacquiao, but before that, Manny Pacquiao has to fight me first, and that’s 100%.”

“Manny Pacquiao’s next fight is with me,” he added. “That’s going to happen, watch. It won’t be this year. It’ll be next year.”