Preview: UFC 303 ‘Pereira vs. Prochazka 2’

Welterweights

#7 WW | Ian Garry (14-0, 7-0 UFC) vs. #14 WW | Michael Page (22-2, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Garry (-135), Page (+114)

There are plenty of narratives around Garry, mostly concerning his life outside of the cage, but it seems to be a bit lost that he’s one of the best young fighters to come around in a while. The Irishman had already outgrown the regional scene by the time the UFC picked him up at 23 years old. A standout athlete with a long frame, knockout power and a solid wrestling game, “The Future” had already proven everything there was to prove. It was a fairly quick rise from there. While Garry had some moments of adversity—mostly in the form of opponents being able to clip him thanks to his upright striking stance—he’d always recover nicely and showed an excellent ability to both game plan for and adapt to his opponents, most notably calling his shot ahead of time with a first-round head kick knockout of Daniel Rodriguez. After a workmanlike win over Neil Magny—it wasn’t particularly exciting but saw Garry do what he needed to do to stay out of trouble—his February victory over Geoff Neal was the first time that it felt like he underperformed due to expectations. Neal is a limited but dangerous headhunter, and that power seemingly cowed Garry into a surprisingly tentative performance, allowing the Fortis MMA rep to find enough moments to even win one of the scorecards. In the face of that showing, this next fight against Page is a fascinating pairing that gives Garry the chance to prove he has learned from the experience.

Page will probably settle in as a fascinating curio, but for the time being, the UFC is fully in the business of seeing if the former Bellator standout can quickly become a title contender. Page’s matchmaking in Bellator was the subject of derision for years. A flashy and dynamic striker with little else to back that up from a mixed martial arts standpoint, Page consistently got a soft touch that allowed him to keep adding to his highlight reel. When the promotion finally pulled the trigger on Page as a contender, he proved worthy of hanging at that level. His fights could be messy and a split decision loss to Logan Storley saw him get controlled, but the whole package was viable enough that he was a credible fighter heading into free agency. His UFC debut against Kevin Holland in March saw him win the expectedly bizarre mess that ensued, and this could be another style clash. It’s easy to see Garry staying at range if his tentativeness against Neal is any sort of indication, and Page will be just as content to wait out his opportunities. Page landing a knockout blow wouldn’t be a shock, but the safer bet seems to be Garry’s strategizing and adaptability cracking open the challenge that “Venom” presents, even if he’ll likely have to take the fight out of the fight to do so. The pick is Garry via decision.

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Pereira vs. Prochazka
Lopes vs. Ortega
Dolidze vs. Smith
Bueno Silva vs. Chiasson
Garry vs. Page
The Prelims