Michael ‘Venom’ Page knows that a big win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 puts him in contention for a shot at the welterweight title.
It’s set to be a big month for the UFC welterweight division, with two of the hottest prospects on the entire roster set to throw down in Las Vegas only a few weeks before champion Leon Edwards defends his shiny gold strap against long-term rival Belal Muhammad.
MVP says it’s all ‘fun and games’ with Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303
Following his debut victory over Kevin Holland, British superstar Michael ‘Venom’ Page returns to action at UFC 303 next weekend to face the ever-entertaining, yet ever-divisive, Ian Machado Garry.
Heated online exchanges have been commonplace between the two, with Page speaking to David Adesanya (brother of Israel) about the trash-talking that’s been going on in the build-up to UFC 303.
“For me, it’s just a little bit of fun, little bit of banter, little bit of back-and-forth – but I know he’s the type of guy that usually bites to those kinds of things and I like it, you know what I mean?,” he explained, via the Freestylebender YT channel.
“It’s all fun and games… We stress ourselves out in the gym enough, I just want to make every other aspect of what I’m doing as enjoyable as possible. So, I love to be creative and make fun memes, funny videos and I think it’s good for the fans as well.”
The victor will be one of only a handful of fighters who will be in the running for the next title shot; but who does MVP think will actually be champion by the time he climbs to the top of the welterweight tree?
MVP shares official prediction for Edwards vs Muhammad at UFC 304
Only a few weeks after MVP and Garry lock horns in Las Vegas, the welterweight title will be up for grabs at UFC 304 in Manchester when champion Leon Edwards rematches long-term rival Belal Muhammad.
The consensus is that this fight will be a ‘chess match’ that will play out over the course of the full 25 minutes, and the flashy British striker also predicts that the pair will see the judges’ scorecards.
“I think it’s going to be a very slow-paced fight because both of them are very slow-paced fighters, it’s not a negative it’s just the pace that they like to fight at – they like to take their time, control and look for the cleaner shots.”
Page noted that the challenger will be looking to take the fight to the ground, but also suggested that fans might be underestimating the grappling defense of ‘Rocky’ – which shouldn’t surprise given how he was able to fend off the likes of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
“The fact he was able to takedown Usman, and Usman’s wrestling is unreal, shows you his caliber of wrestling… But as they both lose energy, the striking ability will still remain relatively high with Leon, whereas you’ll probably get a little bit sloppier with Belal.”
With both fighters having a combined two finishes in their last 14 fights, it’s no surprise that MVP envisions that UFC welterweight title fight going all 25 minutes.
“I think it’s going to go the distance, but I just think in terms of shots landed, it’s going to sway a little more as the fight goes on to Leon… Decision win by Leon Edwards.”
Whilst MVP has been vocal about his desire to scrap for the welterweight title, he has also admitted that he could need one more win in order to secure that shot; with the name on his mind being former champion, Kamaru Usman.
UFC 303 goes down on June 29 live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, followed by UFC 304 on July 27 from the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester.