Garry 'not remotely interested' in UFC 303 fight vs. Page

Despite agreeing to face Michael "Venom" Page at UFC 303, rising welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry isn't at all intrigued by the matchup.

"I'm not remotely interested in fighting 'MVP,'" Garry told Lucky Block Casino. "I'm not gonna lie. Not remotely interested."

Garry, ranked No. 7 in the division, said he wanted a top-five opponent but accepted the fight with Page on June 29 in Las Vegas because no one above him was available. Several contenders - Kamaru Usman, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Jack Della Maddalena - are recovering from injuries, and Belal Muhammad is scheduled to challenge Leon Edwards for the title at UFC 304 in July. (Garry added that in Colby Covington's case, he was "scared" to fight him.)

"This is the single worst position I've ever been put in, where there's no one above me and there's only people below me," Garry said. "So now I have no choice if I want to fight but to look down and go, 'Who is the biggest name, who is the biggest test that the UFC fans and the UFC operations want to see me go up against?' If everyone's saying Michael 'Venom' Page, well, then that's the one guy to make it happen with.

"But I'm not remotely interested in fighting him. I believe I'm levels above him in every single way, shape, and form, and this is just an opportunity to show it, to prove it to people."

Page is a former longtime Bellator star who signed with the UFC in late 2023. The Englishman made his Octagon debut at UFC 299 in March, defeating Kevin Holland by unanimous decision to land at No. 13 in the 170-pound rankings.

Though Page is the much more experienced fighter, Garry reiterated that the fight is going to be a walk in the park.

"Let's see if he's willing to actually stand in that Octagon," said Garry, who is from Ireland and will share a card with countryman Conor McGregor for the first time. "And if he is, I'll use him as an example."