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Page had said earlier in the day that, had this fight happened in Bellator, he’d be accused of fighting yet another can to which Garry burst out in a sarcastic laugh.

“Mate…let’s be real about that. How so? What he’s trying to do is talk out of his f*cking arse and make it that he’s more elite than me,” Garry told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“Seven wins in the UFC. 14-0 undefeated. I’ve beaten 3 ranked opponents. I am on my way to be a world champion. There’s a reason why everyone’s talking about me being one of the best prospects this sport’s ever seen.”

Garry (14-0) was almost dumbfounded by MVP’s characterization of their fight would it have taken place in Bellator. The Irish star fired back a shot of his own.

“MVP is coming to the UFC to try to legitimize his career at Bellator. I’m going to end that on Saturday night,” he said.

With UFC 303 fight week fully underway Garry is very aware that MVP will pull out all of the tricks leading into their fight.

“MVP is very well spoken. He’s very well media trained,” he said.

“But I think he just doesn’t know how good I am and then links everything. Every person, when they say they fight me, I told you this time and time again. He says I’m not the level of the opponent I’ve faced before. He’s going to knock me out, he’s going to show me that he’s going to take me to deep water.”

All that said Garry still respects his opponent and the skills he’ll bring to the cage on fight night.

“Everyone that’s fought MVP is like he’s just a Bellator tick. The truth is you have to respect the skillset. I can respect him, but be so much better than him, and prove that on Saturday night,” he said.

“At the end of the day we’re getting locked in a cage together. I’m going to prove it myself. Whatever he has to say, whatever I have to say, means f*ck all. Saturday night I’m getting my hand raised and that’s my job.”

Some of the trash talk from MVP was actually repeats of things Garry has heard before with the exception of one thing. He called Garry “BBL version” of Conor McGregor playing off the recent rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Metro Boomin, who created a beat for Lamar, made a diss beat aimed at Drake calling him “BBL Drizzy”.

“Dead,” Garry responded when asked if he had a nickname for MVP.

Don’t blink on Saturday night.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Ian Garry above. He takes on Michael ‘Venom’ Page at UFC 303 on Saturday night.

The post Ian Garry Respects MVP, Nicknames Him “Dead” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Following news that Conor McGregor was out of UFC 303 due to injury the promotion scrambled to find a worthy main event to replace one of the bigger returns in UFC history.

Enter UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira who did not shy away from the challenge of headlining the UFC’s premiere fight week event International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

The opponent, a familiar one, as he’ll get a rematch with Jiri Prochazka who he beat to take the light heavyweight throne. Prochazka won the 205 title from Glover Teixeira, who is a close friend and coach to Pereira, dubbing their first fight a revenge bout for the Brazilians.

Also featured in the episode is a welterweight battle between a rising UFC star and a veteran striker who finally made his way to the UFC this year.

Ian Machado Garry looks to add a massive name to his 170 resume on his way to what he hopes is a title shot sooner than later. Standing in his way is Michael ‘Venom’ Page who made his way to the UFC earlier this year at the massive UFC 300 card.

Page defeated Kevin Holland at the historic card in Las Vegas. While Page said he’d be willing to fight him Garry has actually maintained the opposite. Garry continues to say he’s not interested in Page even as he prepares to face him at UFC 303.

Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka headlines UFC 303 on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena.

Watch the entire UFC Countdown episode above.

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“It’s weird because from start to finish I felt confident,” Page told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“When I got in there, it wasn’t like I wasn’t confident, I was still feeling confident, but like my body just wasn’t functioning in the way I wanted it to. I don’t know what it was down to, but it’s the first one. I did what I needed to do to win. I felt miles better than him, and I just felt like I could have done a lot more.”

Page (22-2) still wasn’t happy with just a victory. The UFC newcomer came into the fight expecting to get the finish.

“I like to be very hard on myself winning or losing. I think that’s just me just really wanting to be better, wanting to do more, wanting to give more to the fans that paid their money to come and see me,” Page said.

With his UFC debut now behind him you’d assume Page is looking at the upcoming UK card later this year, but he’s not quite sure that’ll be the right time.

“It’s hard to say I think (that card) it’s June isn’t it? July? It depends. I don’t like to make those kind of decisions, my coach my manager, they’ll sit down. I know what I need to work on, what my coach wants me to work on,” Page said.

“We’ll navigate and say look is that the right time to get back in, yes no, I go from there.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Michael Venom Page above.

The post Michael Venom Page Details UFC Debut, Not Sure About UK Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

White announced that Michael “Venom” Page will fight Kevin Holland at UFC 299 in Miami. Song Yadong will take on Petr Yan, and Ian Garry will get his fight with Geoff Neal. Also added to the card is a bout between Gilbert Burns and Jack Della Maddalena.

“Before I get started I’ll announce some for you guys. This Miami card is stacking up to be badass,” White told reporters including Cageside Press.

“Michael Venom Page versus Kevin Holland, Song Yadong versus (Petr) Yan, Gilbet Burns versus Jack Della (Maddalena) and Ian Garry versus Geoff Neal.”

Page (21-2) will make his promotional debut at UFC 299 against Holland. Page had a dominant run in Bellator and now takes his talents to the UFC.

Holland (25-10) is coming off a loss to Maddalena in September. He had volunteered to take on Vicente Luque at UFC 296 after Ian Garry pulled out, but was ultimately told no.

Yadong (20-7) is on a two-fight win streak with wins over Ricky Simon and Chris Gutierrez. He consistently puts together win streaks and they have not gotten him a matchup with a former champion.

Yan (16-5) is on a three-fight losing streak against two champions and a top contender. He’ll have a chance at a fun fight against Yadong in Miami.

Garry (13-0) was scheduled to fight Luque at UFC 296, but was pulled due to illness. The undefeated fighter was reportedly hospitalized with flu-like symptoms and pneumonia.

Neal (15-5) was supposed to fight Garry before but was pulled from the fight due to injury.

UFC 299 takes place in Miami, FL on March 9 at the Kaseya Center.

The post Dana White Announces MVP To The UFC, Fights At UFC 299, Plus Other Fights appeared first on Cageside Press.

In 2018, it appeared as if the grudge match was destined not to happen.  As the undefeated Michael Page was an injection of fresh blood into Bellator’s welterweight division, Paul “Semtex” Daley was relegated to the background.  Upon hearing the plan for his rival, he went public to say that he was looking to finish his contract and subsequently leave the promotion.  Furthermore, he was then matched up with Jon Fitch which many read as a punishment for his comments as Fitch was considered the worst possible match-up stylistically for Daley.  Following the loss in May and his subsequent free-agency, there was a question as to whether Daley would even stay with the promotion. In the end, he did.

While “Semtex” has alternated wins and losses over the last several years, one thing he has never done is shy away from a firefight.  It is a strategy that has produced incredible finishes such as those over Lorenz Larkin and Brennan Ward.  Even in losses against the likes of Rory MacDonald and Fitch, the ever present threat of Daley’s power added a level of intrigue.  This makes Saturday’s fight a huge opportunity for Daley as Page is expected to keep the fight standing with him.  If he wins, he also has a rematch with another striker in Douglas Lima.  Stylistically, he may never get a better chance to reach the finals and get the title shot that has eluded him so far in Bellator.

Mr. @Michaelpage247 just sent me the following message: pic.twitter.com/4f2Dy4kdjJ

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 11, 2017

Opposing him will be the dynamic Michael “Venom” Page whose brilliant displays of striking have captivated the Bellator audience.  The undefeated Englishman has finished twelve of his thirteen opponents, including several by submission.  Furthermore, he even ventured into professional boxing and scored a pair of victories in 2017.  Each performance has raised his stock as his style has drawn comparisons to the likes of Israel Adesanya and he is considered one of the best contemporary strikers in MMA today.

Page and Daley have gone back-and-forth for years, both of them publicly disparaging the other but a match-up never materializing.  The two haven’t shied away from more public barbs in the build-up, but the recent death of Page’s father is also now weighing on the man dubbed “MVP.”  In an interview with MMAJunkie, Page said “It’s horrible. I’ve never been put in this situation before.  I actually don’t know if taking the fight is even the right decision or the wrong decision.  I just feel like I need to have this fight.  I feel like he would want me to have this fight. He was equally excited about seeing the fight.  It’s hard to know whether I’m doing the right thing or the wrong thing.”

Fans are right to expect an epic finish to the fight as the two are known for their destructive capabilities.  However, they are two distinctly different types of strikers: Daley fights using a more traditional style while Page uses a more unorthodox attack.

👀 @Michaelpage247 and @Semtex_170 face-off for the first time… sorta.

It all goes down Saturday night on DAZN 👉 https://t.co/j4BIUfmyff pic.twitter.com/t3ZBlcMneu

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) February 14, 2019

Daley should look to make the fight more of a brawl in the middle of the cage.  Page is known for keeping his hands low and inviting opponents to engage so he can counter-attack.  Daley should enter behind a jab and then load up on power punches or chopping leg-kicks to deliver the most damage.  Kicks in particular will be crucial in slowing down Page should he be unable to catch him clean with blows to the head.  Of the two, Daley is the more physical fighter and his best route to a highlight reel finish is cutting off the cage and unloading on Page when he is corralled in front of him.

By comparison, Page will want to keep the fight at long-range where he can frustrate Daley and pick him apart on the outside.  Page will ideally be looking to make Daley hesitant to come forward and use his long frame to tag him from a distance.  The key to his strategy will be footwork and accuracy; he will take the decision if he can evade Daley’s charges forward and connect on his counters. The more effective he is, the more likely Daley is to get reckless and leave openings for Page to capitalize on.

If the star power is on the other side with current champion Rory MacDonald, then the fireworks are going to be on the side of Daley and Page.  Not only is the fight the most exciting one on paper, but a pending semifinal with Douglas Lima for the winner is another contest expected to deliver action.  MVP vs. Daley has been called the biggest MMA fight in the history of the UK, and it is hard to imagine a scenario where it doesn’t live up to the hype.

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