Michael Page breaks down how his old rival Ian Machado Garry can upset Islam Makhachev

“I do think he’s a very smart fighter. He’s got great striking ability, obviously his length is going to play a part, and he’s difficult to take down and keep down. He gets up. He knows his positions, and his jiu-jitsu is at a very decent level.

Page went on to express concern about Makhachev’s world-class wrestling. The 38-year-old mapped out a route to victory for Garry, but wondered aloud if his former opponent is capable of executing it on fight night.

“Makhachev, if he gets you down, it’s a very different game to fighting somebody else,” MVP added.

“[Jack Della Maddalena] is probably the scramble king. I’ve never seen him not be able to get up from anybody, apart from Islam. It shows you the quality of Islam on top of somebody. It’s a very obvious thing, that’s where [Garry] is going to have the most amount of trouble.

“I do think [Makhachev] will get to him at least once in a five-round fight, to finish a submission.

“If he can stay on his feet, keep the striking, and damage him enough to weaken him, so even if he does get taken down, he doesn’t have the strength to finish him. But he’s not really a damaging striker, he’s a more pointy, keep his distance type of fighter.

“So, it’s gonna be a difficult one for him to do, but he’s a very smart competitor, and he is talented.”

Michael Page’s next fight

Next month, Michael Page will return to the welterweight division for the first time since losing against Ian Machado Garry.

The former kickboxer picked up high-profile middleweight wins over Shara Magomedov and Jared Cannonier in 2025.

Now, he’s set for a 170lb fight against Sam Patterson at UFC London on March 21.

“Not (a fight) that I expected or was even looking for,” Page admitted last week.

“It’s annoying for me because it’s not just an opponent that feels further down the ladder, he’s also someone that I’ve worked with before, as well, in preparation for other fights, so I know him well, so it’s another reason why I didn’t really want to have this fight.

“More so because again, I came here for big fights, I came here for big names, since my last fight, I’ve been asking for absolutely everybody, and for different reasons, it seems no one is willing to take the fight.

“It’s definitely not the fight I was looking for… Definitely not a fight I wanted… I’m not sure what winning a fight like this means outside of a potential highlight reel.