Ian Machado Garry believes his fight against Michael Page should have been co-main event of UFC 303: "Second biggest fight on the card"
Ian Machado Garry does not think that he is getting the respect he deserves from the UFC in terms of card placement. As the opening fight of the UFC 303 pay-per-view main card, Garry believes that his matchup against Michael 'Venom' Page should be the co-main event.
Six days ahead of the International Fight Week event, Garry spoke his thoughts on his fight with Page on The MMA Hour. The 26-year-old claimed that the welterweight bout was the "second biggest fight on the card" behind the headlining title fight with Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.
Garry told host Ariel Helwani:
"I absolutely think [my fight with Michael Page] is the second biggest fight on the card... There's so much eyes behind me and MVP in this fight. It's gonna be huge."
Check out Ian Garry's video below:
Despite the 11-year age difference between the two fighters, the styles both men present make the matchup one of the most compelling in the welterweight division. Page currently sits at no. 14 in the UFC rankings after debuting in the promotion with a convincing win over Kevin Holland at UFC 299.
Garry continued to say that he is still "not interested" in the fight despite accepting the matchup due to Page being ranked behind him in the UFC rankings.
Watch the full interview with Ian Garry on The MMA Hour below:
Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page preview
In his 15th professional fight, Ian Machado Garry will look to protect his undefeated record on June 29 against 37-year-old veteran Michael 'Venom' Page.
Entering the fight with a 7-0 UFC record, Garry is on the heels of a split decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298, one month before Page made his promotional debut. The win over Neal was the second straight over a ranked opponent for 'The Future' after demolishing Neil Magny at UFC 292.
Page is just 1-0 in the UFC but owns a 22-2 record overall with most of his fights being in Bellator. Despite never becoming a champion with the promotion, Page was consistently one of Bellator's biggest stars and attractions during its run.