The reviews were great for Michael "Venom" Page in his UFC debut against Kevin Holland. Page had compiled a 21-2 record outside of the UFC, including an 18-2 mark in Bellator, but there were still question marks surrounding him as he faced Holland at UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Holland was a known quantity and entered that bout with a 25-10 record overall in MMA and a 12-7 mark in the UFC. He had quality wins over the likes of Joaquin Buckley, Jacare Souza and Gerald Meerschaert, among many others.
Page, though, wasn't interested in a slow climb. He was a month shy of his 37th birthday when he debuted in the UFC, an age most fighters are making plans for another line of work. So he was eager to hit the ground running once he'd finally made it to the UFC.
Page controlled the bout with Holland throughout and secured a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28 on all three cards. It loudly announced his arrival as a UFC contender, though when he awakened the next day, he wasn't so certain of that. UFC CEO Dana White is a big believer in UFC jitters when a fighter makes his debut in the promotion.
It's different in the UFC, White said, than it is anywhere else. He believes that even for a veteran like Page, nervous energy can negatively impact performance. Page isn't so certain, but he believes that despite how good he looked in Miami, he's better than he showed. For those who were seeing him for the first time, he said there's plenty more to give.
"You know, for me, I can be quite hard on myself," Page said. "I feel I could have been better. It's weird to say that because I know I had a great performance, but I say that because I know myself. I'm not saying that UFC jitters are real. I just know I could have performed better. For me, I've been in this game too long to care about occasions or care about titles or ... specific moments that people like to build up to for me. For me, I just focus on being the best me on that day."
It was good enough to get him ranked 14th at welterweight, and it earned him a shot on the main card of UFC 303 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against No. 7 Ian Machado Garry. Garry is 14-0 overall and 7-0 in the UFC and a win over Garry on such a high-profile card would mean a lot for Page.
If he beats Garry, he figures to be in the Top 10 if not in Garry's spot at No. 7 in the welterweight rankings. That makes the path to a championship match a lot less complicated because there are far fewer fighters to get through.
At 37, Page, who said he was hoping to fight Garry at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, next month, doesn't have the luxury of time.
"[The title] is the reason I'm here," Page said. "I've said in a few interviews that this is goal. I'm here for a short time so I want to make a lot of noise."
The UFC clearly has plans for him. It would have made a lot of sense for him to fight Garry at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester given he's from England and Garry's from Ireland. That would have been a hugely popular fight in the U.K.
But the UFC put him on a card that was supposed to be headlined by Conor McGregor, which automatically makes it the year's most high-profile card. Putting Page-Garry on a McGregor undercard is a significant statement by the UFC that it has hopes for that fight.
Page, whose only losses have been by KO to Douglas Lima and by split decision to Logan Storley, is hopeful of taking at least one more fight in 2024 assuming he defeats Garry on Saturday. That would likely set him up for an early 2025 championship shot if things go well.
"The good thing about my style is that I very rarely end up badly damaged even when I spend 15 minutes in the cage," Page said. "People just haven't landed those crazy shots too much. The good thing about that is that I can fight quite consistently. If we get the result here, then I can get another fight in before the New Year."
Sam Navarro/USA Today Sports
Michael "Venom" Page celebrates his UFC 299 win over Kevin Holland on March 9 in Miami, Fla.