Ian Garry and Michael Page traded some insults at Thursday’s UFC 303 press conference in Las Vegas, but you wouldn’t know it based on the interaction they had backstage after the fact.
Shortly after the press conference concluded, the two welterweight opponents crossed paths backstage and shared a moment that went against the intensity we saw from them on stage.
Garry introduced Page to his young son and they both smiled during their brief conversation.
Ian Machado’s son Garry met Michael “Venom” Page after the press conference ? #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/JHnyK1U81r
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 27, 2024
During the press conference things were different.
Garry and Page were arguably the stars of the show, upstaging even UFC 303 headliners Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka with their back-and-forth trash talk.
In fact, Garry even accused one of Page’s coaches of trying to buy information from one of his training partners in Brazil.
“You and your team offered thousands of dollars to get information from my guys at Chute Boxe?” said the undefeated contender. “You messaged someone and offered thousands of dollars for information and you couldn’t infiltrate the camp?”
“The Chute Boxe family is too close.”
Regardless of whether the apparent feud between Garry and Page is sincere or not, there’s no doubt that their fight at UFC 303 is huge for the welterweight pision.
Irishman Garry is undefeated with a 14-0 record and has earned himself the No. 7 ranking in the pision with recent wins over the likes of Geoff Neal, Neal Magny and Daniel Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, England’s Page (22-2) is currently ranked No. 14 in the pision. A former Bellator champion, he made his UFC debut earlier this year with an impressive decision win over Kevin Holland.
Both men are already close to earning title shots, and the winner of their fight this Saturday in Las Vegas will become one of the pision’s top contenders.