UFC welterweight contender Ian Garry was disappointed not to finish a fight within the distance for the third straight time this past weekend.
At Saturday's UFC 303 pay-per-view, Garry was tasked with opening up the main card in what marked his second Octagon assignment of the year. After getting past Geoff Neal in February, the undefeated Irishman was faced with a tougher striking test in Michael "Venom" Page.
In the lead-up, "The Future" expressed a distinct lack of interest in the fight and vowed to "run through" the Englishman with ease. While he ultimately had his hand raised at T-Mobile Arena, it was far from a walk in the park.
Garry secured victory on the scorecards, edging out a final round with his grappling to secure 29-28 verdicts from the three judges cageside.
For the Dubliner, he maintained his position close to the top of the division and kept the 0 on his record. But like many fans who were expecting more from the clash, Garry didn't exit the cage without some frustration...
Garry 'Irritated' At Going The Distance With Page
During a backstage interview with Caroline Pearce for TNT Sports, Garry reflected on his performance and result opposite the tricky Page at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.
The former Cage Warriors champion admitted disappointment at his failure to finish "MVP" before the final horn, especially after both Neal and Neil Magny made it the 15-minute distance in his previous two bouts.
I nearly had the heel hook as well. Look, that for me is just little details on locking up things," Garry said. "I said to Demian (Maia), 'Do you know what we need to do now? We need to go every possibility of finish and we need to lock in the minor details; hand position, head position, feet position. We just need to go over it all.'
"And it needs to be the same on the feet. I need to start working on these finishes because no one's more irritated than me at having a third f**king decision in a row," Garry continued. "Even though it's against elite competition, it f*cks me off.
Having started life on MMA's biggest stage with three knockouts in his first five outings, Garry will no doubt be hoping to return to those finishing ways moving forward.
And now that he spends most of his time training over at Diego Lima's Chute Box Academy in São Paulo alongside the likes of the UFC's all-time most prolific submission artist Charles Oliveira, perhaps the Irishman's next stoppage will come by way of a choke or hold.
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