Michael “Venom” Page is one of the most exciting fighters in Bellator MMA. However, there have been persistent complaints that he has not faced sufficiently tough competition. Ironically, the latest prominent complaints come from Paul Daley, who lost a decision the first time they fought. However, even some of Page’s biggest fans were not impressed with the matchmaking.

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This is ridiculous, said Daley post-fight, as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie. You can’t continually beat these kind of opponents. Yes, he knocks them out, but he’s expected to knock them out. What does this prove, the fact that he knocked out a guy nobody will remember? It proves nothing. It proves nothing at all. Why didn’t he do that to me? Why didn’t he do that to Douglas Lima? Because he’s not of that caliber.

I need to see more from Michael Page, in my opinion, whether it’s a rematch with me or a rematch with another top-tier fighter. Does a win over this guy warrant a title shot? In my opinion, it doesn’t. Yes, he’s a star. Yes, people love him. But can he really fight? The two times he’s stepped up, on paper, he’s got a ‘victory’ over me. Most people, including me, thought he lost that fight. Second time he stepped up against the champion, who I went three rounds with, he gets knocked out cold. So he needs to fight solid opponents instead of feeding him these guys.

He couldn’t do [to me] what he normally does to everybody else. In my mind I thought I won that fight. The only way to make it more convincing to everybody else is to take him out before the judges. If that fight is going to happen it needs to be a big fight. It needs to happen here in 2020, at Wembley in 2020.

Further, Daley conceded he did not take the most fan-friendly approach to the MVP fight, as it took place as part of Bellator’s $1 million welterweight grand prix, and that million dollars made him more cautious than usual.

I approached that fight with the intention to win, explained Daley. I kind of led people down the wrong path thinking it was going to be this brutal bloodbath when I knew I could beat him comfortably on the ground.

I think Douglas Lima is the more exciting [rematch] for me. We went three rounds, and now he’s the welterweight champion again, the grand prix champion, and one of the very best fighters in the world.

If they give me the contract, and it’s the right contract [vs . Page], we don’t need the hype, we don’t need nothing. Let’s just fight. I know I’m better than him. I know I won the first time, and I can do it again. Do I hate the guy? All animosity? No. I just want to prove I’m better and that he’s not of the caliber that everybody thinks he his.

The problem ultimately is that MMA is not a real sport. MMA is in the entertainment business, not the sports business. Daley explained it ably – “He couldn’t do what he normally does to everybody else.” And that’s why there are likely to be a number of unheralded fighters in MVP’s future.