MICHAEL ‘VENOM’ PAGE plans to steal the show at UFC 303 with one of the biggest knockouts of his career.
The former longtime Bellator welterweight makes his second appearance for MMA’s premier promotion in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.
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Page received one of the division’s toughest tests in his sophomore debut with undefeated Irish sensation Ian Garry.
The pair kick off the card’s pay-per-view, which will be highlighted by a mouth-watering light heavyweight title rematch between champion Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka.
Page has made a habit of making headlines with viral endings throughout his career, something he plans to do again this weekend.
The 37-year-old told SunSport: “I think a lot of people are anticipating [this fight]. There is huge expectation for this fight.
“So there will be a lot of eyes on this. We’re opening the show, which I actually don’t mind.
“I think it’s great, it gives me time to really enjoy the rest of the show.
“But, I’m going to go out there and be me.
“What I am demonstrating is a big knockout, a big stoppage.
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“And if everything goes according to plan, that’s the showstopper. Either way, that’s the show stealer.”
Not only would Page steal the show with a viral stoppage of Garry, he would steal all the momentum from the 7th-ranked Garry and put himself on the brink of a title shot.
This fact did not go unnoticed by the London Shootfighters highlight, who said: “[A win]this puts me in a position to be accessible to the belt.
“Immediately or soon after.
“So, like you said, he was probably in line to potentially – if he had fought Colby and beaten Colby – potentially get that kind of situation for the belt.
“So I think that puts me in a similar kind of place, a very similar kind of place.
“Where depending on what shakes [out]I could be fighting for the belt or fighting someone [in the] in the top five and then win a belt.”
The tall, lanky Page will present Garry – who is still coming to terms with idol Conor McGregor’s departure from the card – with the most difficult puzzle of his flawless career thus far.
Page has a brilliant talent for frustrating his opponents with his height, dodging and strikes in the distance, something Garry has yet to encounter.
“I don’t try to look too much into the details,” Page said when asked about his physical advantages. “Just being against me is weird enough.
“I don’t need extra advantages, because my style is a big advantage.
“The way I fight, the way I move, my timing, the kicks, the punches, the unorthodox angles – all of those things are hell for a lot of people.
“So there are little extra perks here and there, but it’s not something I’m going to look into.”
The Garry versus Page booking was well received by fans due to their name value and respective striking styles.
He’ll end up trying to drag me to the ground, hug me, or hold on to me for dear life just so he doesn’t get embarrassed.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page on his UFC 303 clash with Ian Garry
But if Page gets his way, he’ll turn the lumbering Garry into a fighter before giving up.
He said, “For me, I always see myself as a superior attackerregardless of who I’m on the other side of.
“So, that being said, in this one, I feel like the same thing is going to happen.
“And I’ve said that many, many times against many, many opponents.
“He will feel confident in himself in the first few minutes – if that.
“Until he says, ‘This isn’t working, he’s too fast. I’m not seeing these photos, I need to go to Plan Z.’
“Because a lot of attackers don’t want to do that. They can do it, they are capable of doing it.
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“As an MMA fighter you have to learn how to do everything.
“They’re going to have to, you know, fight and fight.
“But now they will make this their plan A.
“And I think that’s exactly what he’s going to end up wanting to do.
“He’ll end up trying to drag me to the ground, hug me, or hold on to me for dear life just so he doesn’t embarrass himself.”
Michael ‘Venom’ Page faces Ian Machado Garry at UFC® 303: PEREIRA vs PROCHAZKA on June 29 on TNT Sports 1. TNT Sports is available through its streaming destination Discovery+ and on all major TV platforms. look here For more informations.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
