Ian Machado Garry believes he is “levels above” MVP.
Riding into UFC 303 with a picture-perfect 14-0 record, seven of those wins coming inside the Octagon, ‘The Future’ will face his toughest test yet when he squares off with former Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Considering he’s ranked seven spots higher than ‘Venom’ in the welterweight top 15, Garry wasn’t exactly thrilled about the matchmaking but admits that his decision to sign on the dotted line ultimately came down to availability.
“I wasn’t remotely interested in this fight, I’m not going to lie,” Garry said in an interview with Lucky Block. “I was looking for a top-five opponent, but there was no one available above me to fight. So now I had no choice if I wanted to fight.
“But to look down and go, ‘Who’s the biggest name? Who’s the biggest test that UFC fans want to see me go up against?’ – everyone was saying Michael Page, then that’s the one guy to make it happen with. But I wasn’t remotely interested in fighting him.”
Ian Machado Garry plans to make an example out of ‘Venom’
As for how Garry sees things playing out, the Irishman is confident that his skill set is far above that of Page, who will be making his second appearance for the promotion following a mostly uninspiring performance against Kevin Holland in March.
“I believe I’m levels above him in every single way, shape and form, and this is just an opportunity to show it, to prove it to people,” Garry said. “I can go, ‘You guys think this guy is good?’ OK, let’s see when he shows up on June 29 in Las Vegas. Let’s see when we stand in that octagon, I’ll use him as an example.”