Ian Machado Garry has his sights set on moving up the ranks, anything else can wait.
Recent UFC signing and former Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page recently called for a matchup with Garry during an appearance on The MMA Hour, suggesting that the fight makes sense since Garry predicted that Page would fall flat in his octagon debut. Page silenced doubters with a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland.
That successful UFC start hasn’t done anything to move the needle with Garry, who only wants fights with opponents higher than him in the rankings.
“No, his number’s not higher than mine,” Garry told Sky Sports when asked about fighting Page. “I want to be the best in the world and unless your number is higher than mine, I’m not interested.”
“Unless he passes me in the division and his number is higher than mine, zero interest,” he added.
Currently, Garry is No. 8 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Page sits at No. 14.
Garry has earned his spot on the back of a perfect pro record, which includes seven UFC victories. His past two wins have come against ranked welterweights Geoff Neal and Neil Magny.
Page authored a number of memorable knockouts during his 10-year Bellator run and though he brings plenty of name value to the table, that’s not enough to draw Garry’s interest for now.
“I’m glad he punched out Kevin Holland,” Garry said. “That guy talks a lot of smack as well and that just proves that he’s not good enough to be in the top 10.”
“I did [think Page would lose.] I said I don’t think he beats him, but yeah, he surprised me,” Garry continued. “Well done.”
Of immediate interest to Garry is his ongoing feud with Colby Covington, who despite his recent struggles still holds a top 5 spot in the UFC’s official rankings. That’s a number that Garry is eager to claim especially with the two engaged in a war of words that is likely to get worse before it gets better.
As much as Garry is eyeing the number next to Covington’s name, he also likes the matchup because he views it as a guaranteed win.
“There’s no way, shape, or form, or universe that I lose this fight,” Garry said. “I’m going to punch the mouth off Colby Covington.”
