Ian Machado Garry is gearing up for a thrilling end to 2024. The undefeated welterweight fighter recently scored a split decision victory over Geoff Neal, pushing his UFC record to 7-0 and overall career record to 14-0. Following this win, Garry aimed to fight Colby Covington for a chance at the championship. However, that matchup fell through.
Now, Garry is setting his sights on former Bellator star Michael Page. “Venom” Page made a strong UFC debut at UFC 299 by defeating Kevin Holland. Garry has confirmed his willingness to fight Page and is waiting for Page’s response.
“I’ve said yes to that name,” Garry told talkSport. “Him and his coaches are deciding because he seems a bit heavy to make weight in seven weeks time, but I’ve said yes.”
While there is a UFC event in Manchester this July that would make sense geographically, Garry prefers to fight at UFC 303 in Las Vegas on June 29, where fellow Irishman Conor McGregor will headline against Michael Chandler.
Garry expressed frustration over not securing the Covington fight, which he believed would have guaranteed him a co-main event spot. He has been unable to secure several matchups, often due to opponents declining to sign a contract.
“There’s so many at this point, you kind of lose count,” Garry said. “I feel like I’ve gone through about eight or nine names. And it’s like, ‘No, don’t want that fight. Not interested.’ The UFC are saying they’re not interested. They’ve offered me Colby. I said yes to MVP. I said yes to Sean Brady. I said yes to, I don’t even know his name, the Uzbekistani guy [Nursulton Ruziboev] if he had won [against Joaquin Buckley]. I said yes to Joaquin Buckley. I’ve said yes to every single person that has come my way.”
A fight with Page might not directly lead to a title shot, but Page’s exciting style and popularity would attract significant attention. Despite his frustrations, Garry remains confident that he will soon break through as a top contender.
“There’s some older guys in the division, guys who are on their way out, on their way down, and they’re trying to maintain and hold their spot so they can have some sort of ego about it,” Garry said. “But the truth is there’s a new wave of talent coming through. When you look at it, you can see it quite clearly. There’s me. There’s Shavkat [Rakhmonov]. There’s Jack Della Maddalena. There’s three examples of younger guys coming in and tearing up the division.”
Garry is committed to staying active and fighting multiple times a year, hoping to follow in the footsteps of champions like Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman. He aims to clear out the division and establish himself as the dominant force in the welterweight category.
As Garry waits for confirmation from Page, fans eagerly anticipate what could be one of the most exciting matchups of the year. Whether it’s at UFC 303 or another event, Garry is determined to end 2024 with a bang and continue his climb towards a championship title.
