After months of speculation (and an inadvertent internet leak), Michael Page is headed to the UFC.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Page’s signing at the post-fight press conference for UFC 296, announcing Page is set to face vet Kevin Holland at UFC 299, which takes place March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
The Page vs. Holland match shouldn’t be a shock to dedicated MMA observers, who caught the matchup on the board the UFC maintains in its “war room” at its Las Vegas headquarters; White’s appearance on the “Full Send” video podcast let the cat out of the bag.
Usually loathe to announce fight matchups after events, White kept the good cheer flowing with a trio of new matchups for UFC 299, which is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champ Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera, a rematch from their 2020 meeting.
Matchups on the UFC 299 fight card include:
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal: The welterweight standouts originally were set to face off at UFC 292, but Neal was forced to withdraw from the event for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Neil Magny, whom Garry beat via decision. Garry was scheduled to face Vicente Luque at UFC 296, but a bout of pneumonia forced him to withdraw from the event, and the UFC elected to rebook the previous pairing.
- Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong: Fresh off a decision win over Chris Gutierrez at UFC Vegas 83, Yadong also got a rebooking. Yadong originally was expected to meet Yan before booking the Gutierrez fight, but the matchup was never finalized.
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena: One-time title challenger Gilbert Burns called out Colby Covington after the former interim champ’s lackluster loss at UFC 296, but the UFC had other plans, pairing up against surging up-and-comer Maddalena, who’s on a six-fight win streak in the octagon.
UFC 299’s main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.