Michael “Venom” Page has something to say following his first setback in the UFC.
UFC 303 news: Ian Machado Garry defeats Michael “Venom” Page in main card opener
The former Bellator star came off a losing streak last weekend when he faced unbeaten “Ian Machado” Garry on the main card of UFC 303. Page, 37, outclassed Kevin Holland with slick striking in his UFC debut in March and dominated Garry in the stand-up but was largely outmatched when it came to grappling.
After two close rounds, Machado-Garry had enough control time in the final round to sway the judges and secure a unanimous decision victory.
Not everyone was happy with the outcome, with many fans ultimately giving the win to Page, but “MVP” is not one to complain, and the welterweight fighter just accepted his loss at UFC 303.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plan is not sound, re-plan, and set sail again towards your coveted goal,” Page wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
Prior to the Gary fight, Page (22-3) had only lost to some of Bellator's top welterweight contenders, a split decision loss to former interim champion Logan Story and a knockout loss to Douglas Lima in 2019 (which he got his revenge in a rematch two years later).
MVP was hoping a win over Garry would earn him a title shot against former champion Kamaru Usman, but it appears the No. 13 contender still has work to do before he can earn another chance at fighting a top contender.
“Connor McGregor” Ian Garry gets slammed by Colby Covington during UFC 303 MVP fight
Ian Machado-Garry maintained his top ranking after beating Page and is now unbeaten at 15 wins and looking to improve. In his quest for the title, the Irishman is eyeing a fight with Shavkat Rahmonov if other challengers “get scared and run away”.
“I don't think Usman wants to fight me,” Gary said at the post-fight press conference at UFC 303. “I don't think Usman wants to come here and fight somebody that fast. I think he wants an easier style of fight. He's talked about fighting Wonderboy… Would I want to fight Usman? Of course. Would I want to fight Colby Covington? Of course. I don't think they'd accept it, because they would be scared out of their minds, because he's a young, promising fighter and the future of this division. If I lose to him, it's the end of my career. That's it.”
“A guy like Shafqat makes this fight so exciting,” Gary continued. “Shafqat is incredibly talented and I have nothing but respect for him. I've trained with him and we've fought in the ring together. [respect]I don't want anyone to beat him before me.”
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