For his second UFC fight, Michael “Venom” Page, a former Bellator title contender and dangerous striker, drew undefeated rising star Ian Machado Garry to kick off the UFC 303 main card.
On an already chaotic night- look no further than Dan Ige stepping in to save the co-main event with the card already half over- MVP vs. Garry promised to be equally explosive.
Early on, Page flashed stance switches, and a nasty-looking front kick that fell short. But off another kick, Garry was able to dump MVP to the canvas, getting on top not even two minutes into the round. Page would make it partway up, wall to his back, but allowed Garry to get the back and get hooks in. From there, Garry got a body triangle locked up and slipped an arm under the neck, squeezing down on the rear-naked choke. Page was in a bad spot, fought hands, rolled, and began punching back at Ian Garry – who broke the hold! That allowed Page to answer the phone, using that bit of defense to regain his composure, which in turn allowed him to survive the round, which was clearly Garry’s.
Round two opened with Page getting his hands down, and showing a bit more of his speed. MVP was able to get in and out with lightning quick speed, but when Garry clinched up, Page was in trouble again. Page would get the fight down, this time winding up grabbing a leg and looking for a heel hook. Page was able to free himself, and back on the feet, did some seriously good work with his right hand. A couple of heavy blows connected, forcing Garry back, but not enough to give him a clear edge.
Garry opened round three with a leg kick, a blow that had rarely been seen to that point in the fight. When the pair came together, they went crashing to the mat with MVP on top. That gave Page some top control, but after two minutes or so, they were on the feet, with Garry taking the back. He took it standing, with Page fighting hands and holding him in place til the buzzer. In a close one, it was Ian Machado Garry taking a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three cards.
Official Result: Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
