Michael “Venom” Page, 33, has been fighting under MMA rules for eight years. He is capable of executing KO of the Year contenders, but has not developed a world-beating game. The decisive decision win over Paul Daley and the skull-shattering win over Evangelista Santos demonstrate his potential conclusively. However, following the sole loss of his career, a KO by current Bellator welterweight world champion Douglas Lima, the promotion has opted, perhaps, to more book him in fights to showcase his extraordinary striking, rather than put him on a grinding title march in Bellator’s top 10.
MVP had a busy 2019 – after the win over Daley and the loss to Lima earlier in the year, he fought three more times, winning each in dramatic fashion. The opponents were not bums – Richard Kiely was just 3-1, but Giovanni Melillo was 12-4, and Shinsho Anzai was 11–3.
Bellator booked MVP vs. 8-0 former Cage Warriors champ Ross Houston at Saturday’s Bellator 248, and the expectation was a spectacular KO. Instead, Page won a not wildly fan-friendly decision. At the post-press conference, he endeavored to explain why.
I don’t like to make any type of excuses whatsoever, and I’ve been in that situation before, but this is the worst I’ve ever had it, said Page. The canvas was so slippery, I literally I couldn’t execute any of my game plans because my whole game derives on me moving my feet and being able to be agile, in and out, land shots and get out.
Again, I don’t know if people will be able to see it in the fight, but I had to change my fighting style. I threw a punch and spun myself around and he threw a kick and literally threw himself off. I could see he was being tentative on his kicks and not throwing them with any kind of maliciousness and it was basically because the canvas was so slippery.
I had to go traditional boxing and not throw many kicks, not bounce, so I made myself an average fighter, which is a lot harder to cover the ground that I need to land the shots. I had to play the grappling game, which again, I’m happy to do, but I don’t care for. I want to have a spectacular finish, but it is what it is.
Page wants to avenge his sole loss, but Lima fights Gegard Mousasi on October 29. for the vacant middleweight title. Rather than wait for the fight and the record, the London Shootfighters protege Page wants to go.
As soon as possible to be fair, said Page. If I was to take one more fight before Douglas Lima, but as you said, he’s got another fight and he’ll probably have a little time off, then I’ll keep busy and get another fight between that. But yeah, to be fair, I’m annoyed at that performance, so I just kind of want to get back out there and just remind people who MVP is.
h/t Danny Segura for MMA Junkie.
