Dana White announces huge new welterweight fight at UFC 303

If you were worried that UFC 303 wouldn’t have a title on the line in any fight, that’s still the case, but another major fight has been added to spice up the International Fight Week card.

Friday, Dana White, CEO of the UFC announced the addition of No. 7 Ian Machado Garry against No. 13 Michael Venom Page.

This clash of pure strikers will undoubtedly land on the main card behind the main event which sees the return of Conor McGregor against former Bellator champion Michael Chandler.

Garry was looking for a fight against Colby Covington, but the brash American showed little interest in facing the equally outspoken and promising welterweight. Garry is coming off an impressive win over Geoff Neal at UFC 298 in February.

Fighting on the undercard with McGregor, a fighter Garry modeled his style after, is probably an honor, and it provides a massive platform for the undefeated Irishman to grow his fan base. However, it won’t be an easy evening for Garry.

MVP is one of the best strikers in combat sports. After a long Bellator career, Page shined in his UFC debut against Kevin Holland at UFC 300 in April. Page easily dismantled Holland with his speed, striking accuracy and elusiveness. It will represent Garry’s toughest competition, and the winner seems destined to face a Top 5 opponent in his next battle.

Here’s a look at the full menu as of May 24. Given that 11 fights have already been confirmed, according to UFC.com, and a rumored fight between Andrei Arlovski and Martin Buday could be announced soon, we could be close to a finalized card. The fights from the June 29 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas are here.

• Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
• Jamahal Hill vs. Carlos Ulberg
• Page Ian Machado Garry vs. Michael “Venom”
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Macy Chiasson
• Ricky Simon vs. Vinicius Oliveira
• Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
• Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-André Barriault
• Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
• Charles Jourdain vs. Jean Silva
• Rei Tsuruya vs. Carlos Hernández
• Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri

Even if the Arlovski-Buday fight is added, an argument could still be made for an additional main card level addition to the event. McGregor is a major attraction, but he still seems slight from a star power standpoint. An additional matchup with two ranked fighters would put this card in a nice spot.

More recent news from UFC 303

Initially, Jamahal Hill was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree on the main card of UFC 303. However, Rountree was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. The UFC quickly pivoted to provide Hill with a powerful opponent. Following in the footsteps of Carlos Ulberg, a 33-year-old rising star from New Zealand.

Ulberg has won seven straight fights, including a 12-second demolition of Alonzo Menifield at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento earlier this month in St. Louis. Due to his early finish, Ulberg was readily available to take advantage of an opportunity to move from No. 11 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings to the Top 5 with a victory over former champion Hill, currently ranked No. 3.

Hill last fought in the main event of UFC 300 when he was flattened by light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in the first round. He will look to reestablish himself as a top contender at 205 pounds.

Stay tuned for future developments with UFC 303 and other combat sports events.