Ian Garry shows off grappling game in victory over Michael Page at UFC 303
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, June 29, 2024, for UFC 303, going down live from the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Headlining the event is a light-heavyweight championship rematch between current champion Alex Pereira (10-2) and no. 1 ranked former champion Jiri Prochazka (30-4-1).
Co-headlining the event is a 165 lb catchweight bout between a pair of featherweight contenders in no. 13 ranked Dan Ige (18-7) and no. 14 ranked Diego Lopes (24-6), a literal last-minute replacement as no. 3 ranked former title challenger Brian Ortega withdrew from his scheduled clash with Lopes with a fever just a couple short hours ago.
Opening up the main card tonight was a welterweight showcase between no. 7 ranked Ian Garry (15-0) and no. 14 ranked Michael Page (22-3).
Garry had gone a perfect 7-0 through seven octagon bouts going in, most recently defeating no. 10 ranked Geoff Neal in February, while Page was coming off a win in his UFC debut over no. 15 ranked Kevin Holland in March.
Continue reading to see how our UFC 303 main card opener went down:
Official Result: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Garry caught a kick thrown by Page and put him on his back about two minutes in. He proceeded to eventually take Page’s back and nearly stopped the fight with a rear naked choke attempt.
Though Page was able to escape the multiple attempts Garry remained on his back attacking with strikes until the opening round ended.
Page landed a nasty right hand at the start of the second, immediately getting the attention of Garry who was eventually forced to tie up with him again. Garry tried getting Page back down to the mat but was unable to and fell back for a leg lock.
Page worked his way out of it and got back to work with his striking toward the end of the round, piecing Garry up with beautiful combinations.
Page picked up in the third and final round where he left off in the second, utilizing good movement and striking before Garry shot in on a takedown attempt. He ended up getting mounted with Page on top of him before Page settled in his guard for a couple minutes.
Garry eventually got back to his feet and took Page back down, again taking his back and holding the position until the final buzzer sounded.
Though it wasn’t the fight many of us had expected, Ian Garry remains undefeated tonight at UFC 303 with a win over a very difficult opponent to beat.
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