Garry-Page fight could be candidate for UFC 303 Fight of the Night

MANILA, Philippines – The upcoming Ian Garry-Michael Page fight in UFC 303 has all the makings of a blockbuster of a match.

Both hail from the British Isles. Both like to talk. Both are fast. Both are uncanny strikers. Both are on the upswing in the UFC.

In short, even with no Conor McGregor, UFC 303 will treat mixed martial arts fans to fireworks.

Page, at 37 years of age with a 22-2-0 record, remains blindingly fast. Garry, undefeated at 14-0-0, also has phenomenal speed. So it is going to be a striker’s match, with someone most likely going to get knocked out.

Garry though makes exceptional use of his leg kicks and Page — much like Anderson Silva or even Israel Adesanya – sometimes keep his arms down to draw in a foe looking for a knockout. Page, like the aforementioned two, possesses frightening speed that he use on the counter to deck foes.

“He has a very unique style to what we normally see, " Garry noted of Page. “People have trouble unlocking the key to that. I do not think I will have trouble doing that.”

“The speed I possess is more than people expected. My fighting IQ in my mind is unrivaled. It is just continuing to prove myself to the world.”

While Page acknowledged Garry, who is 11 years his junior, in an interview with ESPN, he called the Irishman “a fake Conor McGregor” as he directly follows in the latter’s footsteps. While Page said that he appreciates being called the “Britain’s Anderson Silva”, he has a style to himself — a rather unorthodox one that makes him difficult to beat.

Whether those comments get a rise out of Garry is anyone’s guess. 

Added Garry, “As someone with high expectations for myself, it is important to stay locked in. Even in those moments, I would say, ‘This is cool,’ but you have to stick to the plan. The goal is to get your hand raised in the most dominant fashion then I can celebrate in any way I want.”

And Garry does thrive under the bright lights. 

After coming up from Cage Warriors, he took on Filipino-American Jordan Williams for his first UFC match. And it was at the Madison Square Garden too with his birthday 10 days away.

It was super special to make my UFC debut at 23 years of age and at MSG,” he gushed of that win on November 6, 2021. “It was an absolutely sensational feeling. A first round knockout made it even better. The entire emotion made it feel especially grateful.”

Six wins later, including an impressive bounce-back split decision win over Geoff Neal in UFC 298 this past February, Garry feels he is ready for the even tougher fighters as he climbs up UFC’s welterweight division where he is ranked seventh.

“I chose to fight for my life. I embraced it every single day. The build-up, the training and the fight, I enjoy basking in it and being grateful for the gifts I have received.”

This Sunday, the world will find out who has it and who hasn’t.

UFC 303 will be televised live on Sunday, June 28, over the Premier Sports channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as on the Blast TV streaming application. The preliminary card gets underway at 6 a.m. with the main card scheduled for 10 a.m.