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‘Dang Garcia needs some more juice’: Pros react to Rolly Romero dropping Ryan Garcia in Times Square upset

Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero Ring Magazine
Alexander K. Lee is an editor for MMA Fighting who has been covering combat sports since 2014.

Ryan Garcia barely showed up for his fight with Rolly Romero in Times Square.

Romero thoroughly outboxed Garcia for 12 rounds in Friday’s New York main event, knocking Garcia down in Round 2 and going on to win a convincing unanimous decision. While Garcia had his moments, especially when he was able to control the range with his jab, his output dwindled throughout the contest and Romero took advantage, picking “King Ryan” apart to score the biggest victory of his career.

It was a bizarre outing for Garcia, who fought for the first time since April 2024 when he went the distance with rival Devin Haney. Garcia missed weight for that contest, then went on to knock down Haney several times and win a majority decision, only to have that victory overturned to a no-contest after he failed a drug test. That infraction resulted in Garcia serving a one-year suspension from competition.

Fighters were just as confused as the rest of us, though many praised Romero for making the most of his opportunity.

Check out social media reactions to Romero vs. Garcia below.


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