Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes a win over Ian Machado Garry will put him within reach of his first UFC title opportunity.
After besting Kevin Holland in his promotional debut at UFC 299 in March, Page will return to the Octagon on Saturday, June 29 for a clash with the undefeated Irishman. With ‘The Future’ sitting as the No. 7 ranked contender in the welterweight division, the bout will carry with it some serious title implications for both men.
Speaking with Chamatkar Sandhu, Page believes that a win over Garry will get him within earshot of reigning 170-pound king Leon Edwards, but he’ll likely need one more W to push him over the edge.
“I believe there will be one more fight in between for me,” Page said. “If I want to bring it back to the UK, there will most likely be one more fight. They usually do a show [in the UK] in March or something, so if I can get one more fight by the end of the year, that’ll be the perfect way to sign off the year.”
As for who that “one more” could come against, ‘Venom’ has the perfect opponent in mind.
“If I finish Ian, then maybe [Kamaru] Usman,” he continued. “Get a big fight next. He’s number one ranked. Again, like I said, there’s no point wasting time. Let’s jump up. Let’s go. Ask for Usman if he’s happy to go, we go. Get that win and then people… There’s no debate after that. I deserve the belt.”
Kamaru Usman was not impressive with Michael ‘Venom’ page’s UFC debut
Following Michael Page’s UFC debut, Usman admitted to being a fan of ‘Venom,’ though he couldn’t help but be a bit underwhelmed by the former Bellator star’s premiere appearance inside the Octagon.
“It was a good showing,” Usman said on his Pound-4-Pound podcast. “Let’s just start with the entrance, the entrance was great. I like ‘MVP,’ I like the fact that he had the confidence to come in and do that, entrance was great… Now, based on that entrance, I would have liked to see him fight a little bit more- he’s definitely capable of something greater than what he put out” (h/t MMA News).
After losing back-to-back bouts against Leon Edwards, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ came up short against Khamzat Chimaev after stepping in on nine days’ notice to face ‘Borz’ at UFC 294 in October. Now sitting on a three-fight skid, Usman is in no rush to return but fully intends on chasing gold once he’s ready to strap on the four-ounce gloves again.
