Leon Edwards, Shavkat Rakhmonov ‘kill’ Ian Machado Garry

Michael Web page doesn’t see championship potential in Ian Machado Garry.

Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he edged out Web page final month at UFC 303. He was capable of outgrapple “MVP” and land a pivotal takedown late in Spherical 3 to safe the win.

Garry expressed curiosity in dealing with Shavkat Rakhmonov subsequent, however Web page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) doesn’t see him profitable that struggle – or being the one to dethrone welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

“By no means, no,” Web page stated on The MMA Hour. “As a result of if that’s the sport you’re going to go while you get an honest striker, then Leon goes to kill you anyway, then Shavkat goes to kill you anyway. There’s just a few guys in there that I simply don’t see him surpassing. He went a bit extra tactical and even in a few of the areas, he didn’t really feel massively sturdy. I’m not even making an attempt to be disrespectful to him as a result of once more, he’s performed his job, he was sensible about how he sort of glided by it.

“However for me, regardless, this sport for me is about fight. It’s about preventing. Not about stealing wins. Even like I stated, that final spherical, I didn’t essentially want to face up or have to let him get up. I may’ve stayed there and simply dragged it out and probably acquired a greater rating within the third spherical and possibly that will’ve swayed it, however that’s not the sport I’m in. I’m in a fight sport. Like, I wish to trigger injury, I wish to damage individuals.”

So what’s Garry’s ceiling in Web page’s opinion? A perennial welterweight contender.

“I don’t see him progressing to the highest,” Web page stated. “I feel he’s proficient. I feel he’ll at all times be round there – prime 10, prime 5 – after which he’ll hold shedding out to sure individuals. However he’s nonetheless proficient, and clearly he’s acquired a a great deal of time to progress and get higher anyway.”