Ian Garry vs. Michael Page: Odds, full fight preview and prediction

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight strikers Ian Garry vs. Michael Page will throw down this weekend (Sat., June 29, 2024) at UFC 303 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Garry has been on a steady rise through the UFC ranks. The Irish striker’s momentum really picked up in 2023, however, when he beat the breaks off both Daniel Rodriguez and Neil Magny to announce himself a ranked fighter. His decision win over Geoff Neal was a bit more tepid, but he’s still inching closer to the elite ranks. Page, meanwhile, cut his teeth in Bellator for many years, challenging for interim gold in 2022. His crossover into the Octagon was unexpected, but “Venom” made the most of it, styling on Kevin Holland for three rounds and proving himself a top-shelf Welterweight.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Garry Vs. Page Betting Odds

Ian Garry victory: -130
Ian Garry via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Ian Garry via submission: TBD
Ian Garry via decision: TBD
Michael Page victory: +110
Michael Page via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Michael Page via submission: TBD
Michael Page via decision: TBD
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Garry Wins

Garry has proven himself a very technical kickboxer. He has the build to make a movement and distance-based style work well, and thus far, it’s been quite difficult for opponents to consistently get inside, meaning they’re finding little success shooting takedowns or landing in combination.

This match up, however, presents a different question. Page isn’t going to try to close the distance on Garry. He’s happy to fight at range — that’s what he’s been doing his entire life in various martial arts! In fact, it might be necessary for Garry to push forward a bit, which is relatively unusual.

Fights between counter punchers like this can often be a bit boring, but close and slow fights emphasize the little details. In this match, Garry wins by remaining active with his kicks, particularly any time Page is near the fence. It may also be worth mixing a takedown attempt or two into his game, as strikers have outwrestled Page in the past. Really though, Garry has to remain patient and within himself, build combinations when possible, and hit the targets that are available.

How Page Wins

Page is one of the flashiest strikers in the game, but there’s a serious method to his approach. He’s all about angles and deception, walking his opponent into huge shots or blitzing them before they realize what has happened.

Above, I mentioned this fight may be a bit boring, and Page should be perfectly fine with that. It’s probably in his best interest to be very selective about when he engages. Because of his ability to close forward so suddenly — certainly faster than Garry — he has the option to avoid trading unless it’s on his terms.

That mentality can result in staring matches, but if Page is winning with occasional blitzes, that’s not his problem. Patience can go a long way here, as occasional sticks will force Garry’s hand: lose a dull decision or take chances. If and when Garry bites down on his mouth piece and gets aggressive, few are better at creating massive collisions than “MVP.”

Garry Vs. Page Prediction

Overall, Garry is the better fighter. If you match both men against every fighter in the Welterweight Top 15, I’d expect “The Future” to win more of those bouts than his opponent, who has a very specific style and clear-cut weaknesses. Unfortunately for Garry, he falls directly into the style that Page enjoys and doesn’t seem to have the game to disrupt him. Like Holland before him, he’s going to be forced to fight Page on his terms, and that’s a tremendously difficult ask for the young talent.

If Garry can win impressively, consider me convinced on his championship potential. More likely, he takes a learning lesson and still needs time to develop before being able to topple a specialist like Page.

Prediction: Page victory (+110)

LIVE! Watch UFC 303 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 303 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 303: “Alex vs. Jiri 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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