Ian Machado Garry He tempted fate on the feet long enough to get to his ground game and earn a victory over Michael Page.
Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) knew his best path to victory would be through grappling, and that’s exactly the plan he implemented to earn a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Page in the UFC 303 Main card opener at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After referee Mark Smith signaled for the fight to begin, chants of “MVP” roared through the crowd as Page approached Garry in his side stance.
Both men offered some individual strikes, but neither found their mark. However, Garry had the first significant moment, scoring a takedown after a trapped kick.
Garry made his way to Page’s back and applied a body triangle. A second later, one arm was under her neck and he applied the choke from behind. Page escaped the choke, but had to deal with Garry’s punches from his back all the way.
Page hit Garry with a right hand early in the second round. Page dove in and out and landed another combination as he dodged Garry’s punches. A moment later, Page swung and missed, leaving an opening for Garry to quickly grab and hold him. Garry then bent down to apply a leg lock but was unable to secure it.
Back on his feet, Page connected with a quick two-punch combo. After missing with a flying knee, Page landed another combo just before the horn sounded.
With five minutes left, Page continued to look for blows with his feet. An awkward clash led to the fight ending on the ground with Page on top. Garry was able to land some solid elbows from the back as he worked a body triangle.
Halfway through the round, the fight returned to the standing position, but it didn’t stay that way for long, as Garry managed to take him down and quickly ran back. Page stood with Garry on his back against the fence, and the crowd grew restless as the final seconds ticked away.
During his post-fight interview, Garry said he thought his best path to a finish was to work on the ground, rather than trying to trade with Page on the feet. He also made his title intentions clear while speaking to Joe Rogan.
“I’m coming for that world title, 15-0,” Garry said. “Undefeated. Unstoppable. I don’t care who’s next or where they are. I’m going to be world champion. The future is inevitable and I’m going for that belt.”
With this result, Garry achieved his second victory of 2024 and kept his undefeated record intact. In February, at UFC 298, Garry won a split decision over Geoff Neal. Now with an 8-0 record in the UFC, Garry firmly puts his name in the welterweight title race.
Updated UFC 303 results include:
Ian Machado Garry defeated Michael Page by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Joe Pyfer defeated Marc-Andre Barriault by knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
Andre Fili defeated Cub Swanson by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jean Silva defeated Charles Jourdain by knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:22
Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri by knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:19
Gillian Robertson defeated Michelle Waterson-Gomez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Martin Buday defeated Andrei Arlovski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Rei Tsuruya defeated Carlos Hernandez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Vinicius Oliveira defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub. UFC 303.