Ian Garry is “absolutely livid.”
That’s because “The Future” failed to finish Michael Page at the UFC 303 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Las Vegas, instead settling for a unanimous decision victory that pushed the 26 year-old Irishman to 15-0 in his pro career.
It also marked his third straight win by decision.
“Livid, absolutely livid,” Garry told The MMA Hour. “It should have been done in the first round. There should have never been a second, there should have never been a third. It should have been, ‘Ian Machado Garry takes his back and subs him unconscious.’ That’s what it should have been. I’ve already lost sleep over that and I just have this burning sensation in my brain that is just — it’s the competitor in me. It’s the perfectionist in me that goes, that’s where the fight should have been done and dusted.”
UFC CEO Dana White was one of many critics who scored the fight a draw.
“You’re full of s—t,” Garry continued. “You need to go back and watch the fight. First round was mine. Here’s the thing: There is more of a case to say I won all three rounds than than there is to say it was a draw. That’s the way I look at it. First round, dominated. No one in the world is arguing that. Third round, it’s pretty obvious I won. I ended up on bottom somehow, it was a weird exchange from punches, ended up on bottom, I used elbows from the bottom, in tight, dirty. I had the damage when I was off my back. Then I ended up taking him down, getting his back, and dusting him up a little bit. It wasn’t a massive amount of damage, but there was absolutely nothing from ‘MVP.’”
Garry concedes Page may have captured the second stanza on points.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal,” the 37 year-old Page (22-3) wrote on Instagram.
Garry’s victory over Page did little to influence the UFC ranking panel. In this week’s “official” update, “The Future” holds steady at No. 7, while “Venom” remains seated in the No. 14 spot. It will be interesting to see how matchmakers approach their next fights, based on what we saw (and didn’t see) at UFC 303.