UFC champion Tom Aspinall makes his early prediction for Ian Machado Garry vs Michael ‘Venom’ Page ahead of their showdown at UFC 303.
Ian Machado Garry might not be getting his highly anticipated fight against Colby Covington, but the confident Irish superstar has certainly found himself a fantastic dance partner for his next bout in the form of UFC newcomer Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Ian Machado Garry vs Michael ‘Venom’ Page added to UFC 303
It’s official: Ian Machado Garry will return to the octagon on June 29 on the same card as Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler, where he will face fan-favorite striker, Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Garry had been calling for a long-awaited clash with bitter rival Colby Covington, but ‘The Future’ will still be fired up and ready as he looks to rise the welterweight rankings and secure his 15th consecutive victory as a professional MMA athlete.
Standing across the octagon from Garry at UFC 303 will be the ever-entertaining Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who certainly made good on his promotional debut earlier this year as he dominated veteran Kevin Holland back at UFC 299.
Tom Aspinall shares early pick for MVP vs Garry at UFC 303
Speaking via the Title Sports Network YouTube channel, UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall noted that whilst he’s an admirer of both Ian Garry and Michael Page, he’s leaning towards his fellow Englishman to get the job done on June 29.
“I’m a fan of both guys, I like MVP a lot as a person and as a friend, and I think I give MVP the edge on it…. I think he’s very, very smart and very tricky.”
“As someone who’s trained with him, obviously there’s a big size discrepancy between the two of us, but I can see the way he moves, and I can feel the way he moves – and he moves so well.”
Aspinall reiterated the long-standing view that MVP remains one of the most difficult fighters to prepare for as “he’s so unpredictable,” with the two having posted several videos of them training together to their respective YouTube channels already in 2024.
“His grappling is massively underrated,” teased Aspinall, before adding that “It’s a fight that I’m very interested in.”
“I wonder why that’s not in the UK then [because] that would be better… Whatever, I want to see that fight though, that’s good.”
It would have indeed been better for the British fans if Garry vs MVP was on the UFC 304 card in Manchester, rather than Stateside at UFC 303 – although Garry has himself explained that the placement is solely (and understandably) down to being on the same card as Conor McGregor.
“It’s 303 or nothing for me,” said Garry on his social media in response to the MVP fight being confirmed, before addressing the fans and his next opponent directly:
“Who is the biggest name, who is the biggest test that the UFC fans want to see me go up against? If everyone’s saying Michael ‘Venom’ Page, then that’s the one guy to make it happen with.”
“7-0 in the UFC, undefeated, I’ve beaten everybody that they’ve put in front of me… You guys think that this guy is good? Okay, June 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada – I’ll use him as an example.”
Garry previously stated in March that he had no interest in fighting MVP as his welterweight ranking was lower than his: “I want to be the best in the world, and unless your number’s higher than mine, I’m not interested.”
Ian Machado Garry vs Michael ‘Venom’ Page will take place on June 29 at UFC 303 – its place on the card remains unclear after Carlos Ulberg replaced Khalil Rountree Jr for the co-main event against Jamahal Hill.