When Michael “Venom” Page makes his long-awaited UFC debut on 9 March, he’ll draw on sparring classes with the likes of welterweight champion Leon Edwards as he faces a “cockroach” in Kevin Holland.
Page, finest identified by the moniker “MVP” and for his flashy knockouts, was a standout within the Bellator welterweight division for 10 years, till he determined to check free company in 2023.
It was a transfer that paid off when the Londoner, 36, signed for the UFC in December, in a second that many MMA followers had longed to see for years. Shortly thereafter, it was introduced that Page could be thrown in on the deep finish with a conflict in opposition to Thirteenth-ranked Kevin Holland, who has turn out to be a fan favorite in recent times resulting from his entertainment-first fashion and tendency to speak trash throughout bouts.
Discussing his arrival within the UFC, Page instructed reporters on Friday (16 February): “It’s weird, it’s still a little bit surreal. There’s moments where I kind of forget I’m here, then something will happen and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m in the UFC!’ I don’t think I sign off as a UFC athlete until I’ve stepped in that cage, fought and come out.
“One thing that helped was the bare knuckle fight [with UFC alumnus Mike Perry in 2022]. Once that fight was announced, Hunter [Campbell, UFC CBO] reached out to Audie [Attar, Page’s manager], like: ‘Does that mean he’s a free agent?’ Audi was like, ‘Oh, no, not yet,’ and explained, but that action meant: ‘Oh, these guys are interested.’
“I had one more [Bellator] fight, then there’s a certain term when you can’t negotiate. I had to wait that term out, but I was going around, flirting; you’d see me at different shows and stuff. Then the conversations were allowed to commence.”
Page, a former boxer and kickboxer, additionally admitted that he barely slept for 2 days main as much as the affirmation of his UFC deal, which arrange his promotional debut in opposition to American Holland, 31, at UFC 299 in Miami.
“I’m happy not only because it’s a great fight, but because it means the UFC is taking me seriously as well,” Page mentioned. “Obviously being signed means they have some form of respect for you, but you don’t know to what level. When they gave me that opponent, it was like: ‘Oh, they really want me here, and they’re really gonna push that.’
“When I had a conversation with Hunter, he was like: ‘How do you see it going, if you are to be signed here?’ And I said: ‘I just want to make noise. Get me at the top, give me all the best. Whoever you think is up there, that’s who I want.’ He was like: ‘Good, it seems like we’re thinking the same way.’
“Beforehand, [it will be a] great build-up. During the fight, you could probably turn it into a podcast, because both of us are going to be going back and forth [verbally]. Afterwards, I think there’s gonna be a lot of noise. I remember him talking to Khabib [Nurmagomedov] on the outside – ‘Teach me how to wrestle!’ – and I remember him knocking out ‘Jacare’ [Ronaldo Souza] from the ground.
“He’s a competent fighter, he’s a tough guy, he’s a cockroach; you can’t kill him, but I’m gonna try. I’m gonna try really hard! He’s an entertaining fighter, I’m an entertaining fighter. Us together, I think that’s a match made in heaven.”
One criticism of Page’s profession has been a perceived lack of top-level competitors throughout his spell in Bellator, and the Londoner has admitted that his “ego” desires to show his doubters incorrect.
“I’ve been doing it behind closed doors, I’ve sparred with so many different people – names that I haven’t even mentioned before,” Page mentioned. “I’ve sparred Leon, [UFC light-heavyweight] Johnny Walker, and I don’t believe any one of them would ever say anything negative about the spar. That just shows the level I’m at, but yeah, it’ll be nice to prove it, just because I’m a bit petty… I’m a lot petty.”
Page additionally mentioned he isn’t involved with constructing a selected ‘legacy’ within the UFC, aside from being identified for entertaining the followers.
“I just want to be known as the most entertaining combat athlete across the board,” he mentioned. “You just know that it’s a big show, when I show up. I don’t care about ‘legendary’ status, I think I get enough respect from people – and I respect myself, most importantly.
“I want to inspire more people to utilise [my] kind of style, and also to encourage them to be more showy in that arena. That means less people will feel the need to run their mouths because their fights are boring. No, make your fight exciting, then you won’t need to do that on the other side.
“I want that to be left there: just the entertainment value of it. I want to do it on the biggest stage, and I’m here now, ready to do that. I always say the same thing: Don’t blink.”
Source: www.impartial.co.uk