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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Simon Samano

Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page official for UFC 303 in Las Vegas

Ian Machado Garry has long wanted to compete on a card with fellow Irishman Conor McGregor, and now he’s got his wish against a worthy adversary.

Friday, UFC CEO announced that Garry will meet Michael Page in a welterweight showdown at UFC 303, the pay-per-view headlined by McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the cage against Michael Chandler. The event takes place June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Page wasn’t Garry’s first choice as he’s been calling out Colby Covington for weeks and previously said he’d signed a contract to fight the former UFC interim champ. However, Covington, who talked a lot of trash about Garry and his wife, claimed otherwise, and the fight fizzled.

Now Garry (14-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) instead will face Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former Bellator title challenger coming off his UFC debut win against Kevin Holland at UFC 300, which landed him at No. 13 in the official UFC welterweight rankings. Page, 37, has won eight of nine fights overall, including back-to-back victories. He recently said he was down to fight Garry.

“I’ve never actually met him,” Page said. “I never like to judge too much from a distance, but he inspires me to get in shape because he just has an annoying air about him. If there was any motivation needed, it’s just him talking.”

Garry, 26, is still undefeated at 14-0 overall, with seven victories in the UFC against the likes of notable names Daniel Rodriguez, Neil Magny and Geoff Neal. His most recent win against Neil at UFC 298 came by split decision in what was a technical display that incurred boos from fans in Anaheim, Calif.

Below is the updated lineup for UFC 303:

  • Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
  • Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg
  • Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael Page
  • Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
  • Andre Fili vs. Cub Swanson
  • Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Joe Pyfer
  • Gillian Robertson vs. Michelle Waterson-Gomez
  • Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
  • Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott
  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Martin Buday
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

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