Michael Page didn’t appreciate Ian Garry picking Kevin Holland to beat him in his UFC debut so now Venom wants Garry to beat him himself.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page made a successful UFC debut when he defeated Kevin Holland via decision at UFC 299. Before the fight, Irish welterweight Ian Garry boldly predicted that there is “no f*****g way” that Page gets past Holland.
Well, Garry was completely wrong as Page easily outpointed Holland 41-29 in total significant strikes landed while winning the fight via unanimous decision. One event earlier, Garry picked up the biggest win of his UFC career with a narrow split-decision victory over Geoff Neal.
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With both fighters victorious in their last bouts, Venom thinks a fight between him and Garry would make the most sense so they could settle their score. Since the UFC is reportedly eyeing a London event sometime in July, Venom is proposing to fight The Future in that event.
“Just looking at the rankings, I think one that makes the most sense would be Ian [Machado] Garry,” Page said on The MMA Hour. “Considering he thought I wasn’t going to get past Kevin. … There was an interview he did, I’m not sure on what, they asked him his views on me, he was like, ‘Who is he fighting? Oh, he’s not going to beat Kevin. No way he gets past Kevin.’ Very dismissive. Which is fine. People ask me about my views, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
“There’s no need to be angry about it, but now I’ve gotten past and maybe you could stop me. In the U.K. as well, it’s perfect. That would be a lot of noise there, and I think it’s a good fight. I think he’s ranked seventh, seven is my lucky number.”
Garry’s win over Neal marked his seventh consecutive triumph inside the Octagon. It also moved him up to No. 7 in the latest rankings. Meanwhile, Page made his rankings debut after beating Holland. Venom is now No. 13 in the UFC’s welterweight ladder.
Although they are separated by 6 spots in the rankings, Page is no ordinary fighter. The 36-year-old Briton was one of the most popular fighters in Bellator MMA because of his unorthodox but exciting striking style. At this stage of his career, he can ask the UFC to book him a high-profile fight. With the short history between them, Ian Garry is a possibility.
The issue however is that Garry is angling for a Colby Covington showdown. In fact, he recently challenged Chaos to an “I Quit” match where the loser would have to leave the UFC. Covington has yet to respond but it’s unlikely he’ll take up a challenge from a lower-ranked fighter. Similarly, Garry may be thinking the same about Page.