Sean Brady is closing in on a title shot. The once-beaten welterweight picked up the biggest win of his career in the headliner of the UFC’s latest event at…
Sean Brady is closing in on a title shot. The once-beaten welterweight picked up the biggest win of his career in the headliner of the UFC’s latest event at…
Caio Borralho is the real deal. The Brazilian picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday night, defeating former title challenger Jared Cannonier by…
Caio Borralho is the real deal. The Brazilian picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday night, defeating former title challenger Jared Cannonier by…
Farid Basharat has told his side of the street brawl against Michael Page at the fighter hotel following UFC…
Farid Basharat has told his side of the street brawl against Michael Page at the fighter hotel following UFC 304.
Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski revealed on his YouTube channel that two fighters got into it at the fighter hotel. He wouldn’t reveal who it was, but the video was released of Michael Page and Farid Basharat getting into it.
Following the video being released, Basharat took to social media to explain his side of the story and called Page a coward for his actions.
“I’ve never been one to look for a fight but if somebody starts it I will never shy away. He swung first and then backed away. Coward and a fake nice guy. But it’s cool.. I know how to deal with bullies. See you around,” Basharat wrote.
It was an interesting comment from Basharat who thought Page was a coward and a fake nice guy. He also put the blame on the brawl on Page as he claims the welterweight contender swung first on him.
Farid Basharat is 12-0 as a pro and is coming off a decision win over Taylor Lapilus in January to improve to 3-0 in the UFC.
Alexander Volkanovski shares story of brawl at UFC 304 fighter hotel with Farid Basharat
In his YouTube video, former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski first shared the news of the Farid Basharat altercation at the fighter hotel after UFC 304.
“I wasn’t sure if I should even mention it. I didn’t want to cause any issues or name anyone involved. But since you’re asking, I’ll share a bit. There was a scuffle in the lobby between two individuals. One was definitely a fighter, but I’m not sure about the other. It looked like a punch was thrown, and things got heated. Security was all over it, but I tried to step in and diffuse the situation,” former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel.
“The guy I tried to hold onto was quite slippery. Despite my efforts, he managed to evade me and a few other security guards. It was quite a scene, with everyone scrambling to control the situation. I almost lost my balance as we tumbled down the stairs,” Volkanovski said.
After Volkanovski talked about the incident, a video of the brawl was released on social media.
Luckily, no one was injured in the altercation at the hotel following UFC 304.
While he admits the submission hold was deep, Michael “Venom” Page says he was never concerned about getting choked out by Ian Garry at UFC 303. Page made the walk inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena at last month’s International Fight Week pay-per-view event, making his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon after swapping Bellator for the […]
While “MVP” immediately burst into the rankings on debut by getting the better of Kevin Holland in Miami this past March, he was unable to climb further toward his targeted all-English title fight with Leon Edwards on June 29.
Instead, Garry cemented his top 10 spot by narrowly getting the better of the Londoner on the scorecards in the UFC 303 main card opener. The Irishman utilized his grappling to enjoy large periods of control in rounds one and three.
For the most part, Page didn’t appear in danger of getting finished throughout the close fight. He did, however, find himself in a worrying spot during the first grappling exchange, as “The Future” attempted a rear-naked choke.
But although many were surprised to see “MVP” escape the hold, the man himself was less shocked…
Page: Not Getting Choked Out Is One Of My Jiu-Jitsu ‘Superpowers’
The Brit was specifically asked about the compromising position he found himself in on the ground shortly into the opening round, having no doubt drew out cries of ‘he’s going to tap’ from some fans watching at home.
Page is yet to be submitted in 25 pro fights, and he says that’s for good reason.
“I’m very difficult to choke. In jiu-jitsu, that seems to be one of my superpowers. It’s always hard for people to finish chokes on me,” Page said. “When I got into that position…that was way closer than (against Holland). When I say closer, yeah, it was deep, but there was no way I was tapping and I wasn’t going to sleep either.
“Not to give away anything, but like I said, I am very difficult to choke,” Page continued. “Even in the gym, there’s guys that get me really deep and they’re like, ‘What the f…?!’ Their arms burn out before I tap. So luckily, I’m stubborn in that area. But it was a deep choke (at UFC 303).”
Whether Page will need to prove that once again opposite one of the welterweight division’s top grapplers next time out or will instead be matched against a fellow striker remains to be seen.
But either way, “MVP” has touted his extra motivation since the defeat in Las Vegas and vowed to bounce back as his pursuit of gold continues.
Having shared the cage with him at UFC 303, Michael “Venom” Page doesn’t see Ian Garry reaching the top of the welterweight division. The pair collided in the main card opener of the International Fight Week pay-per-view on June 29 in Las Vegas. The three-round affair was widely branded somewhat lackluster, with the Irishman utilizing […]
Having shared the cage with him at UFC 303, Michael “Venom” Page doesn’t see Ian Garry reaching the top of the welterweight division.
The pair collided in the main card opener of the International Fight Week pay-per-view on June 29 in Las Vegas. The three-round affair was widely branded somewhat lackluster, with the Irishman utilizing his grappling to edge frames one and three on the scorecards.
The result marked the latest addition to Garry’s undefeated professional record and moved his UFC slate to 8-0, cementing his top 10 spot in the process.
Page Didn’t Feel A Future Champion Against Garry At UFC 303
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Page looked back on the defeat he suffered in what marked just his second fight competing on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage following a decade in Bellator.
With that in mind, Page didn’t feel like he was squaring off against a sure-fire future champion. Far from it, in fact. “Venom” recalled facing someone who would get “killed” by UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards and top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“Not all. No,” Page said when asked if he sees Garry as a future champion. “Because if that’s the game you’re going to (use) when you get a decent striker, then Leon is going to kill you anyway, then Shavkat is going to kill you anyway. There’s a few guys in there that I just don’t see him surpassing. … Even in some of the areas, he didn’t feel massively strong. I’m not even trying to be disrespectful to him, because again, he’s done his job, he was smart about how he kind of went by it. But for me, regardless, this game for me is about combat. It’s about fighting. Not about stealing wins.
“Even like I said, that last round, I didn’t necessarily need to stand up or need to let him stand up. I could’ve stayed there and just dragged it out and potentially got a better score in the third round and maybe that would’ve swayed it, but that’s not the game I’m in. I’m in a combat game. Like, I want to cause damage, I want to hurt people,” Page continued. “So yeah, I don’t see him progressing to the top. I think he’s talented. I think he’ll always be around there, top 10, top five, and then he’ll keep losing out to certain people. But he is still talented, and obviously he’s got a loads of time to progress and get better anyway.”
Garry no doubt feels differently, having frequently insisted that a title crowning on MMA’s biggest stage is inevitable. He’ll look to prove that when he returns to action, potentially against one of the names mentioned by Page.
Post-UFC 303, the Irishman had the name of Rakhmonov on his lips. While he got a positive response from “Nomad,” it remains to be seen if the UFC will share the same outlook and pair them together next.
Not everyone was impressed by Ian Garry’s performance at UFC 303, but given what he sees in Michael “Venom” Page’s style, a fellow Irish fighter seemingly was. Garry cemented his spot in the welterweight top 10 late last month at the International Fight Week pay-per-view in Las Vegas, opening the main card opposite “MVP.” The […]
Not everyone was impressed by Ian Garry’s performance at UFC 303, but given what he sees in Michael “Venom” Page’s style, a fellow Irish fighter seemingly was.
The Irishman was vocal in the lead-up about his lack of interest when it came to sharing the cage with the lower-ranked Englishman, insisting he only accepted the matchup to get on the undercard of what was originally planned to be Conor McGregor’s comeback.
“The Notorious” ultimately pulled out and didn’t make the walk on June 29. Garry did, however, and had his hand raised in a close decision against Page, who was making just his second UFC appearance following a successful debut in March.
Having gone to the scorecards in his fights against Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, the Dubliner’s run of decisions and the competitive nature of his clash with “Venom” have left some critical of “The Future” and dismissing his chances of competing against the elite of the division.
One of Garry’s fellow countrymen, however, has suggested that such a narrative does a disservice to the challenge “MVP” presents inside the cage…
Loughran Says Criticism Of Garry’s UFC 303 Performance Is Unfair
During a recent interview with InsideFighting, UFC bantamweight prospect Caolan Loughran gave his take on a number of notable prospects, stars, and champions currently competing on MMA’s biggest stage.
When it came to Garry, the former Cage Warriors champion admitted that he hadn’t been a fan of his compatriot’s approach to fight buildups in the past.
But after noting an improvement when it came to his remarks ahead of UFC 303, Loughran pushed back on negative takes regarding Garry’s victory over Page on fight night.
“I haven’t met Ian since he was an amateur. I haven’t seen him since the regional scene. I haven’t seen him in years,” Loughran said. “I was actually liking the way he was talking (ahead of UFC 303). And he’s winning fights in the UFC.
“He’s getting a lot of stick for his performance against ‘MVP.’ F*ck fighting ‘MVP.’ He’s a nightmare!” Loughran continued. “Until you have him in front of you, you haven’t sparred or trained with someone like him. Now, when you put him on his back, he’s crap. But it’s just getting him on his back is a nightmare.”
Having maintained his perfect UFC and professional record at the expense of “MVP” at T-Mobile Arena on June 29, Garry is now setting his sights on those above him in the welterweight pecking order.