A well-known Irishman once said that the best thing a fighter can have in combat sports is options.
And if you’re Ian Machado Garry, the unbeaten welterweight contender has an increasing range of options ahead of his next trip to the Octagon.
The Dubliner, who moved to 7-0 in the UFC (14-0) overall last month with a split decision victory over the dangerous Geoff Neal, has risen from the ranks of Cage Warriors to become one of the most talked about fighters on the UFC roster as he scythes through the 170-pound field en route, he says, to inevitable world championship gold.
Machado Garry has envisioned that path going through former three-time title contender Colby Covington, with the pair trading a slew of social media callouts in recent days — but if that fight fails to come to fruition for any reason, one of the UFC’s newest 170-pound contenders says that he is more than willing to trade blows with him.
“Just looking at the rankings, I think one that makes the most sense would be Ian Garry,” former Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page said to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Wednesday, as reported by MMA Fighting.
“Considering he thought I wasn’t going to get past Kevin [Holland]. There was an interview he did, I’m not sure on what, they asked him his views on me, he was like, ‘Who is he fighting? Oh he’s not going to beat Kevin. No way he gets past Kevin.’ Very dismissive. Which is fine. People ask me about my views, everyone is entitle to their opinion. There’s no need to be angry about it, but now I’ve gotten past and maybe you could stop me?
“In the UK as well, it’s perfect. That would be a lot of noise there, and I think it’s a good fight. I think he’s ranked seventh, seven is my lucky number.”
Page, who as noted above was victorious in a one-sided decision win over UFC veteran Kevin Holland earlier this month in his Octagon debut, made clear, though, that his callout of Machado Garry comes from a position of respect.
“He’s a great fighter,” Page said. “Again, no need to be negative towards anybody. He’s sparked a lot of emotional reactions from a lot of people, from his personality, his performances, he’s doing good. But I definitely believe I can beat him, so why not?”
