Michael “Venom” Page made a statement with his walkout song choice, but his UFC London fight with Sam Patterson ended up being more like a lullaby.
In a bout that received plenty of boos and criticism on social media from fight fans and pundits, MVP scored a decision win over Patterson.
A tactical approach to round one saw Patterson get off to a better start, landing the few punches that were thrown during the frame. Page responded in the second round with pressure, landing countershots and tying up Patterson in the clinch.
Page’s striking (whatever was thrown) and control in the third round helped him win the fight.
Just 39 strikes were landed in the bout, with 27 of them coming from MVP.
Michael “Venom” Page Gets Judges’ Nod Over Sam Patterson
We've seen some really bad fights this year, and that could be #1
Michael “Venom” Page isn’t holding back. Speaking on The Boys in the Back podcast on Tuesday, the British welterweight contender delivered a pointed critique of the UFC’s fighter pay structure.
With Zuffa Boxing, Dana White’s boxing venture under the TKO umbrella, reportedly handing Conor Benn a staggering $15 million for a single fight, Page and fellow UFC fighters are left wondering when some of that sun win will shine on the fighters who helped build the Zuffa empire.
The $15M Elephant in the Room
The Benn deal ignited immediate backlash within UFC circles. Longtime boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported that the British welterweight signed a one-fight contract with Zuffa Boxing worth $15 million — a number that would be exceptional even for established UFC stars, let alone a boxer whom Page himself described bluntly:
“I love Conor Benn, but he’s nowhere near the best in his field.”
Zuffa Boxing is a joint venture between UFC parent company TKO Group Holdings and the Saudi Arabia-based company Sela, with Dana White serving as its lead promoter.
Former UFC champion Sean O’Malley echoed Page’s disbelief yesterday, publicly stunned that a fighter he barely recognized could command that kind of money from an organization that regularly pays its own world champions a fraction of that figure.
Eddie Hearn, who lost Benn from Matchroom Boxing, summed up the broader sentiment: “They’re sick as a dog. There’s no loyalty.”
Page on the UFC’s Paramount “Bonus Bump”
Dana White had promised fighters would see the financial benefit in the Paramount+ era. What they got: post-fight bonuses were doubled from $50,000 to $100,000, with an additional $25,000 “finish bonus” introduced for fighters who secure a KO or submission but aren’t selected for Performance or Fight of the Night honors.
Page was not impressed. On the podcast, he made clear the bump doesn’t match the scale of what the company is now pulling in:
“This is why I wasn’t initially excited about it, because for me, it doesn’t do enough compared to the amount of money they’ve just brought in for themselves. To see how highly [Dana White] values people away from the sport that built his reputation, it’s just upsetting, to be fair. It’s disappointing more than anything. That’s all I’ll say on that.”
The math is hard to argue with. A $7.7 billion deal generates over $1.1 billion per year for TKO. Doubling a $50K bonus to $100K, handed out to only a handful of fighters per event, represents a rounding error in that context.
“Champions Shouldn’t Be Broke”
Page went further, tying the Benn conversation to a long-running grievance in the sport: elite fighters reaching the pinnacle of MMA and still struggling financially.
“I hate hearing stories of fighters getting to what is the pinnacle of our careers in terms of the UFC and still being broke. That just shouldn’t exist.”
He pointed directly to the widely discussed case of Francis Ngannou, who was UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World while reportedly borrowing money from former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman just to get by.
“This is something people have complained about. Francis Ngannou being the heavyweight champion of the world and broke, borrowing money from a friend of his, [Kamaru] Usman. Why was he even in that situation is the question for me.”
How the Sam Patterson Fight at UFC London Came Together
On a lighter note, Page also addressed how his upcoming bout against Sam Patterson at UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy on March 21 at The O2 Arena in London came to be booked — and it wasn’t exactly the matchup he had in mind.
“I’ve been asking for a lot of different fighters and not really getting responses, and I wasn’t panicking, but I definitely felt more urgency when I was speaking to the UFC. I was like, ‘What’s going on? Who am I going to be fighting?
We had a few back-and-forths and ended up pushing a ton of names over that we hadn’t really considered before because they weren’t the high-level names. It’s an unusual one, but either way, I’m excited to be back in the cage. I’m glad I didn’t miss the opportunity to fight back in the UK.”
Page had previously told media that the booking “feels like I upset somebody” at the UFC, given that [despite an impressive four-fight first-round stoppage streak] Patterson is not the high-profile welterweight opponent Page was pursuing after back-to-back middleweight wins over Shara Magomedov and Jared Cannonier.
Patterson enters the fight at 6’4″ with serious knockout and submission power, and he has previously cited Page as an inspiration.sports.yahoo+1
The event streams live on Paramount+ on March 21, headlined by the featherweight title eliminator between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy.
Michael Venom Page is not obtuse to the fact that Khamzat Chimaev would be a rough night of work but it is a challenge he is game for, all the same. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show in the wake of his win over Jared Cannonier at UFC 319, MVP touched on multiple subjects related to his win over the former UFC middleweight title challenger.
The former Bellator MMA star also touched on the fact that he is intrigued by a fight with the current UFC middleweight champion who emerged as the newly minted titleholder at the same UFC card Page just bested Cannonier on. In Chicago on August 16th, Chimaev defeated Dricus du Plessis in a dominant performance that saw him notch historic numbers in terms of the striking metrics as ‘Borz’ ascended to the throne.
While MVP normally plies his trade at welterweight, he now has a pair of impressive wins at middleweight to his credit over Shara Magomedov and the aforementioned Cannonier. When discussing what could be a desired next step or a challenge in the future at the very least, Page said,
“I was thinking about the champ, Khamzat Chimaev. I’ve had the privilege of being in the gym and watching him work. He is an absolute beast, an absolute animal. What he did was insane. At times I felt like he was being nice when he got someone in the crucifix. I don’t understand why he wasn’t raining down elbows. He was there for like four minutes at a time.”
Michael Venom Page knows what he would be getting into, but wants to work against Khamzat Chimaev
As Michael Venom Page further expounded upon his thoughts on the new UFC middleweight titleholder Khamzat Chimaev, Page continued,
“That guy’s amazing. And I’ve got to make a decision to be really prepared to defend myself and get back up because in my head it doesn’t matter. You have to walk into that fight knowing that you’re going to spend some time on your back and you have to work from there.”
Michael Page will be a ranked UFC fighter come Tuesday, as he scored a victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 319.
Cannonier tried to close the distance to land on Page, but MVP kept on the outside and used his long range to his advantage. He consistently tagged Cannonier, including a counter punch that dropped Cannonier briefly. “The Gorilla” briefly was able to get a hold of Page and placed him against the fence, but he didn’t do anything with it.
Page continued to do work in the second round, scoring another knockdown with a one-two combination and taunting Cannonier while trying to keep distance. Cannonier finally got the fight to the ground and held Page there for the third round. He attempted a couple of submissions, but they were for naught.
Page took the decision on all three judges’ scorecards, 29-28.
Michael Page Scores Judges’ Nod Over Jared Cannonier At UFC 319
MVP has the most disrespectful non disrespectful fighting style of all time 😂😂😂 #UFC319
The undefeated streak of Shara “Bullet” Magomedov is no more.
Michael “Venom” Page came in with a strategy and puzzled Magomedov, going on to take a decision win in the co-main event of UFC Saudi Arabia.
Both fighters brought out a tactical approach to the first round, being selective with their shots. While Magomedov had his moments, Page notably was able to land several countershots after utilizing his jabs and feints.
“MVP” used his reach to his advantage in the second round, keeping his distance and preventing Magomedov from getting any momentum in his strikes. Even when “Bullet” did manage to close the distance, he was unable to take full advantage.
Page continued this strategy in the third round, and while Magomedov had his moments there, it wasn’t enough. Page scored a unanimous decision win, earning 30-27s on two judges’ cards and one 29-28.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page Ends The Undefeated Record Of Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov
“MVP” is now 2-1 in the Octagon, rebounding from a loss to Ian Garry at UFC 303. The Bellator veteran made his UFC debut at UFC 299 last year, defeating Kevin Holland.
Before tonight, Magomedov had scored victories over Bruno Silva, Antonio Trócoli, Michał Oleksiejczuk and Arman Petrosyan in the Octagon.
The main event between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov won’t be the only huge middleweight fight toward the top of the UFC Saudi Arabia lineup.
The Octagon is set to touch down in Riyadh for the second time on Feb. 1, 2025. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the headliner between Adesanya and Imavov in a social media video this week, alongside an intriguing co-main event that should excite striking fans.
After Red Corner MMA first reported that Shara Magomedov had agreed to meet welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page in a clash between two of MMA’s most dangerous and exciting standup fighters, White officially announced the UFC Saudi Arabia matchup. Page previously expressed interest in this bout following Magomedov’s latest win, stating that he’d be happy to compete at middleweight.
This fight at UFC Saudi Arabia sees “MVP” move to 185 pounds after fighting twice inside the Octagon at welterweight. The former Bellator star has gone 1-1 since debuting in the UFC earlier this year. A decisive win over Kevin Holland in March was followed by a decision loss to Ian Garry at UFC 303, where the Irishman lent on his grappling ability to secure the victory.
Magomedov, meanwhile, has been incredible value for money since his arrival in the promotion last year, winning four in a row to obtain a top 15 ranking next to his name at 185 pounds. In his toughest test to date, “Bullet” secured his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus by knocking out Armen Petrosyan with a double spinning backfist at UFC 308 last month.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at UFC Saudi Arabia are as follows:
Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov (middleweight main event)
Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page (middleweight co-main event)
Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz (middleweight)
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira (bantamweight)
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues (heavyweight)
Bogdan Grad vs. Lucas Alexander (featherweight)
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Leavitt (lightweight)
Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva (women’s flywight)
Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen (heavyweight)
Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli (featherweight)
Terrance McKinney vs. Damir Hadžović (lightweight)
After a competitive first round, “Bullet” produced an incredible highlight in the second, unloading a spinning double backfist to drop his Armenian counterpart for the knockout win.
The result moved Magomedov to 4-0 in the UFC, marked his third win since June, and paved the way for entry into the middleweight rankings at #14.
One notable name has thrown their name into the hat, with longtime 170-pounder “MVP” offering to share the cage with Magomedov up at 185 pounds.
“Magomedov — he just fought, did the double spinning back [fist] knockout and then he called out my boy Izzy,” Page told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. “Mate, I’m at that weight right now. You don’t even have to wait too long. That one there, I’ll just take straight away just for the fun of it.
“I’m in shape now, ready to go. So that’s a good fight for me, I think. Just a nice stand up fight for everybody, just to come back to the game,” Page continued. “And like I said, leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the belt, to the throne, so I’ll take his place.”
.@michaelpage247 would absolutely move up to middleweight for a "nice stand up fight" against Shara Bullet:
"Leave my boy Izzy alone. He's trying to get back to the throne. I’ll take his place."
Page has gone 1-1 in his debut year competing under the UFC banner. Following his Bellator departure, the Brit got off to a strong start inside the Octagon by outpointing Kevin Holland at UFC 299 in Miami this past March.
But his charge toward title contention was narrowly stalled by Ian Garry when they met at UFC 303 during June’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
UFC welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page will enter a different realm of the fight game for his next taste of competition.
2024 has marked Page’s debut year in the UFC, having had his switch from Bellator confirmed shortly after the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired his former employer.
Against the Irishman, Page had his grappling deficiencies exposed. That, evidently, is an area “MVP” is looking to improve in before making his return to the Octagon.
The Londoner’s focus will entirely be on his ground game in the coming weeks as he gears up to compete in a grappling match under the Polaris banner.
News of Page’s debut in the promotion was reported by Ariel Helwani, who revealed that the 37-year-old will face former interim UFC champion Carlos Condit at the London-held Polaris 30 event on November 2.
Michael “Venom” Page versus Carlos Condit has been booked for Polaris 30 on Nov. 2, per promotion officials.
MVP has been working on his grappling as of late and this popped up as a good test. pic.twitter.com/hqB2ivO259
While he’s never been submitted in professional MMA, two of Page’s three defeats came by way of grappling. Before Garry utilized control to get the job done this year, Logan Storley pulled off a similar gameplan across five rounds to win interim Bellator gold back in 2022.
Condit, meanwhile, announced his MMA retirement in September 2021. The decision followed a defeat to Max Griffin two months prior, which brought “The Natural Born Killer’s” late-career win streak to an end.
During his memorable MMA stint, Condit defeated the likes of Thiago Alves, Dan Hardy, and Rory MacDonald. In 2012, he got the better of Nick Diaz to capture the interim UFC welterweight title, subsequently falling short against Georges St-Pierre.
Having unseated Aljamain Sterling from the throne last year and dominated Marlon Vera in his first defense this past March, “Suga” was unable to repeat the feat against “The Machine,” who put in a dominant performance across five rounds to take the decision.
While predictions of a Dvalishvili win were common in the lead-up, many appeared to expect a more competitive display from O’Malley. And one of his UFC peers thinks he let opportunities to change the tide in the fight slip by.
Page Visibly Frustrated At O’Malley’s Striking Approach At UFC 306
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Page reacted to the two championship headliners that went down inside the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The former Bellator title challenger and current UFC welterweight contender broke down the action, paying particularly close attention to how O’Malley approached things in his favored realm on the feet.
“MVP” shared plenty of advice that might have been useful to the defending champ throughout the bout’s duration, but he appeared especially puzzled by what he witnessed after O’Malley hurt Dvalishvili to the body late on in the final round.
“He should be tagging his leg even now. Tag his leg, land a jab, tag his body, land a jab,” Page said while watching O’Malley’s work in round five. “You can’t just do one (attack), you’ve got to go again! I think he’s just too tired. … Teep him, kick him. Now hands as well, you need to mix it all up.
“Look, how do you throw one shot and then let him move?! It don’t make sense,” Page continued, just before O’Malley hurt Dvalishvili to the body. “Oh! No! Why would you do that (spinning kick)! … Yes, go again, go again. Look, (Dvalishvili’s) desperate now. This is where he was gonna catch him but I think he’s left it too late. … What are you doing, man?! Bro, you’ve got to have a bit more killer instinct, man.”
While those close to O’Malley suggested he looked off, “Suga” has dismissed any and all excuses and simply admitted he was beaten on the night.
He’ll now focus on his recovery as he looks toward surgery on a torn labrum in the coming weeks. Beyond that, the now-former champ seems to be targeting a comeback in the second half of 2025.
Over promised under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys.
The two men, at least from the video, tried to get at each other for some time until, with the help of security, they were separated and situation was deescalated.
Ahead of his return against Victor Hugo at UFC 308, Basharat gave his side of the story.
Altercation at the fighter hotel after UFC304 with MVP and Farid Bhasharat with Volk going for a double leg to calm things down. Strange week 🤣. pic.twitter.com/E71CzUr2N8
Farid Basharat Explains How He Nearly Came To Blows With Michael ‘Venom’ Page
In an interview with InsideFighting, Basharat explained exactly what happened at the fighter hotel following UFC 304 in Manchester.
He said that his relationship with Page goes way back to when he and his brother Javid were training at the same gym as “MVP,” London Shootfighters.
Having left that gym on less than ideal terms, they didn’t want anything to do with Page or the rest of the team. Although he had a brief interaction with the welterweight contender on the shuttle back to the hotel after the July event, Farid said there was no drama at first when Page started speaking to him.
“I shake his hand, I say ‘Okay, good.’ I keep it short because I don’t really want to, I don’t really like him, I don’t want to speak with him. Anyway, we get off the shuttle, we go back to, I just walk off and we’re in the hotel. I go through the lobby and he kind of tries to put his arm around my shoulder and I just kind of like brush it off and say like, ‘No, I don’t really want to speak with you, thank you.’ He was obviously drunk a little bit because I could smell it and his ego must have got a little dented.”
Basharat then said that despite his wishes for them to go their separate ways and leave it at that, Page continued to press him on what the issue was.
The 27-year-old added that things got heated from there, stating that getting into a fight at 7 AM in the morning with a fighter four weight classes above him wasn’t something that he was actively pursuing.
He claimed to have flipped was when Page threw a “cheap shot” at him while he was distracted by one of the Londoner’s friends.
What made him tip even further over the edge was that despite Basharat being the one who needed to get through members of security and a former UFC featherweight champion, it was Page who was backing up.
“In my head, I was so annoyed. I was thinking, ‘Just step to the left a little bit and we can make something happen. We could at least throw a couple of exchanges, a couple of shots,’ you know? But look, these situations, I’m not sitting here like some bad boy trying to create hostile situations, trying to get into fights, but sometimes when you have to go, you have to go. If someone starts on you, it doesn’t matter.
“It doesn’t matter who, why, where, when and at that point. I just lost it to be honest, and you’ll see in the video, I was trying to get ahold of him for probably about 10 minutes. The video cuts out short but honestly, I just kind of lost it because I couldn’t believe I was trying to deescalate a situation, I was trying to go my way and stuff and this coward…he’s the one that throws a punch. In my head, I was so p*****, I just wanted, at that point, I would have done anything to get my hands on him. But now, whatever, I don’t care about this guy. When I see him, we’ll deal with it however.”
Michael Page recently voiced his opinion that MMA judges should deliver verdicts in a manner that discourages fighters from narrowly securing victories by relying on a single fighting style.
MMA judging has been a hotly debated topic within the sport for years. Many argue that certain cage-side judges occasionally stray from the sport’s established guidelines, possess limited expertise, and sometimes deliver decisions that raise eyebrows or award points that are hard to justify.
Accusations of an inconsistent scoring system and insufficient quality control in the training and selection of judges fuel the ongoing controversy, making it a persistent source of contention at numerous events. And “Venom” is pushing for a reform in how judges evaluate and score fights…
Page on MMA judging: ‘There’s So Many Wayward Decisions’
During a recent Q&A video on his YouTube channel, Page delved into the changes he believes are necessary in the MMA world, touching on topics like judging, weight cuts, and more. The 37-year-old striking sensation highlighted the recent incident involving judge Howie Booth, who was removed from his position following a controversial scorecard in the heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 305.
“The game is slowly changing, and there have been some adjustments,” Page said. “So with the judges, I feel like we’ve had so many just random scores to the point where, even the other day, a judge got told to bounce. Yeah, so it means that there are these guys—I don’t know what’s going on—are they getting tired, or do they need to change judges like every other fight or something? But there are so many wayward decisions sometimes, so something is going wrong.”
“Venom” also stressed the importance of revamping the scoring system, calling for judges to favor fighters who actively seek to finish their opponents and take risks, rather than those who attempt to secure a victory by relying solely on one fighting style.
“I think the rule set is changing a bit to accommodate more people who want to finish a fight. I’ve always said, if it’s wrestler versus striker, I don’t mind the wrestling if you wrestle with the intention of trying to finish the fight—whether it be from a submission or, you know, ground and pound, trying to take someone’s head off. But if you’re wrestling just to survive and sneak a win, I don’t believe you should be allowed to win a fight. There should be a lot more intention in what you’re doing.”
The Fighting Nerds athlete has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon, stopping all three opponents with devastating finishes.
His latest win over Li Jingliang at UFC 305 set him up well for an even bigger name next time out, and given the fact that he has put on a show with each appearance, a ranked opponent isn’t out of the question.
When looking at the fighters that occupy the ranking sports from 15-10, one name in particular stands out to Prates.
Carlos Prates Reveals That He Emulated Michael Page For ‘MVP’s Only Knockout Loss
In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Prates gave his thoughts on all of the potential ranked opponents that he could be matched with in the near future.
He revealed an interesting story from his earlier career when arriving at the name of one of the division’s most talented strikers.
Michael “Venom” Page is an incredibly difficult opponent to train for because you don’t find people that have his unique style combined with size and reach, very easily.
Prates said that he has been a stand in for “MVP” when he was training alongside Douglas Lima, who fought Page twice in Bellator.
In their first meeting, Lima would hand the Brit his first defeat at Bellator, via a ruthless second-round knockout.
Prates believes that after being a part of the camp for this fight, he has the secret to become the second man to stop Page.
“Michael Page would be a really good fight. I would like to fight him, it would be a great bonus again. You know the first time he lost to Douglas Lima? I was a sparring partner of Douglas. I was doing like MVP and Douglas was doing his game. He, Douglas and his coach, came to Thailand and we trained all together… So it’s kinda I know the way to knock the guy out.”
At 41-years-old, Stephen Thompson knows that he is much closer to the end of his run in mixed martial arts than the start of it.
Whilst he has been more than happy to take on the new blood at the top of the welterweight division, like his next clash against Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307, there are still some big fights for “Wonderboy” before he walks away.
Two names stand out the most at 170-pounds due to their striking pedigree which would allow Thompson to do what he does best, rather than spending his final fights defending takedowns.
Both opponents are fights that many would like to see Thompson step into but he only agrees with one of the two options.
Stephen Thompson Explains Why He’s Open To Fighting Ian Garry But Not Michael ‘Venom’ Page
During a recent interview with Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me Podcast, Thompson gave his thoughts on facing Garry and Page before he hangs up the gloves.
Garry, who is ranked higher than “Wonderboy” at #7, is a fight that he’s certainly up for but he can understand why the Irishman may not be so keen on it given his undefeated run.
“I think it would be great, especially Ian Garry but at this point in time, I kind of see where he’s at like he’s just looking for the gold. I don’t think he would even want to give me a chance. I’m ranked #9, he’s close to the title, I think he’s looking for that next.”
From the moment that “MVP” signed to the UFC, seeing Page and Thompson square off was a potential match-up that got fans excited because they’re both such specialist strikers.
“And MVP, I think it would be, I think the fans would love that fight but…”
After Bisping jokes that it would be nothing but both men keeping their hands down and circling one another, Thompson expanded on why he isn’t that interested in that fight even if it appears to be something that the fans want to see.
“That’s the thing, I think it would just be that. Just moving around and staring at each other the whole time. We’re both counter strikers, you know, we got that karate background, we want guys to come forward so they run into our techniques, so we can work our angles, so we can blitz but when you have another counter striker on the other side of the Octagon with you, it could possibly be one of the most boring fights ever and I think people would boo it. I think people would boo that fight, I really do man.”
Thompson also made reference to Garry’s fight against Page where he looked to press the action rather than counterstriking with “MVP”.
He gave this as his reasoning for why the Garry match-up wouldn’t have the same outcome as the one against Page.
Michael “Venom” Page recently offered his insights into the highly anticipated middleweight title showdown between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, suggesting that the fight could end with a spectacular head kick knockout.
“Stillknocks” is set to defend his championship for the first time in a grudge match against Adesanya in the headline bout of the upcoming pay-per-view event, scheduled for this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
The two fighters were initially expected to square off last September following their dramatic face-off at UFC 290 in July 2023, yet destiny had other plans when an untimely injury derailed Du Plessis. During that time, “The Last Stylebender” faced a surprising setback, losing the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
In the wake of his defeat, Adesanya announced that he would be taking a hiatus to prioritize his mental well-being and recalibrate his career. Meanwhile, the South African power puncher made a triumphant return, narrowly defeating Strickland by a split decision to seize the 185-pound title at UFC 297.
Despite returning from a loss and a year-long break, Adesanya still stands as the odds-on favorite against Du Plessis. The Nigerian-born Kiwi is hailed as one of the most formidable middleweight champions in UFC history, with five successful title defenses under his belt. His reign of dominance is credited to his intricate fighting style, a puzzle that many opponents struggle to solve, combined with his remarkable ability to land potent strikes while maintaining flawless control of range.
A virtuoso of unconventional striking techniques himself, Page has a deep understanding of just how lethal ‘The Last Stylebender’ can be on his feet against Du Plessis…
Page Expects ‘Old-School’ Adesanya To Shine Against Du Plessis
During a recent UFC 305 prediction video on his YouTube channel, “Venom” offered his thoughts on the looming clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya. Page threw his support behind the former middleweight champion, suggesting that Adesanya’s time away from the octagon has likely reignited his hunger and determination.
“The middleweight division is just crazy right now with its constant handovers when it comes to the belt, but I do think the king is about to return to his throne,” Page said. “There’s a different level of focus right now when it comes to Izzy after he had a little back and forth with [Alex] Pereira, got his one back. That was unbelievable because he put so much mental strength into that. He kind of just wasn’t in the same mindset after that; he kind of relaxed a bit too much and then obviously lost the belt. Now he’s back after giving himself some time to just, I guess, get that motivation again.”
“I do think we’re going to see the old school Izzy. Dricus is going to want to grab him and take him down to the floor. I think he’s [Adesanya] going to struggle initially to try and find the timing, but then when he starts getting plugged, it’s going to be a bit of a desperate takedown, which he may get, but I see Izzy standing straight back up on him and then just getting to work on his hands until I think he just gets demoralized. My boy is going to find a way to land. I could even see a head kick coming or a big punch that’s going to rock him and take him out of the fight.”
Adesanya stands on the brink of history. If he secures a victory on August 17, he will join the exclusive ranks of the legendary Randy Couture by claiming an undisputed UFC title for the third time in a division. This monumental achievement would firmly establish his place among the greatest icons in MMA history.
He received some criticism from fans for this performance after not backing up some of his words about how the striking battle would play out.
Garry’s been known to ruffle some feathers during his UFC tenure, not least during the build up to his fight with the veteran 170-pound competitor Neil Magny.
The two men met at UFC 292 last year where the rising contender said some things about Magny that didn’t really resonate with a lot of the fans.
Despite their previous tensions, there is no bad blood towards the Irishman at least from Magny’s point of view as has been clear in the past.
Neal Magny Praises Ian Garry For His ‘Smart’ & ‘Patient’ Performance At UFC 303
During a recent interview with James Lynch for InsideFighting, Magny spoke about his former opponent’s last outing.
The welterweight staple is set to return on August 24 where he looks to make it back-to-back wins since his loss to Garry when facing Michael Morales.
“Yeah I watched it, it’s one of those fighters where it’s a tough call. When you have so much time to prepare for a fight, every move you make has to be very calculated where had one guy or the other slipped up one way or the other like had MVP [been] able to stuff one takedown, it would change the outcome of the fight. Had Ian Garry missed one takedown it could change the outcome of the fight, had MVP landed one more significant strike it could change the outcome of the fight so it was just one of those fights that was close going into it and anything can literally happen.
“That fight literally came down to who made the least amount of mistakes. I mean even some of the takedowns that Ian Garry was able to score on MPV, it didn’t really come from like, ‘Oh I’m going to set up a shot with my strikes and feint and get in this way.’ It was off a caught kick or something like that and he took full advantage of it.”
Where some fans criticized Garry for relying on his grappling skills to make the fight a more gruelling affair, Magny credited him for this.
He spoke about how when you’re up against an opponent like Page, doing anything other than keeping it simple can result in a rough awakening.
“It was a very close fight I was definitely impressed with the grappling display that Ian Garry was able to pull out of that fight. I definitely tip my hat to the performance that Ian Garry. It was one of those fights that is very difficult to prepare for because if you go out there and try to do a little bit too much against MVP, you end up waking up looking at the ceiling so he fought a very smart fight, a very patient fight and was able to get it done.”
Following a solid UFC debut against Kevin Holland, Michael Page lost to Ian Garry at UFC 303 via unanimous decision. Despite having success on the feet, he could not stop a couple of Garry’s takedowns and was controlled for over seven minutes.
The fight was close with Garry decisively winning the first and Page bouncing back in the second. MVP started strong in the third but a late takedown helped “Machado” get the judges’ nod.
Here’s what Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, thinks of MVP’s future in the UFC welterweight division and whether he can be the champion one day…
Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Expects Michael ‘Venom’ Page To Improve His Resume In The UFC
Zahabi recently talked about MVP’s potential to become the UFC welterweight champion on his YouTube channel. Although he claimed Page to be the better striker in the Garry fight, he is skeptical about the Bellator star’s ability to handle other high-level opponents.
“I think MVP looked good in the striking. The third round was close. I gave the first round, obviously to Ian. Second round, I gave it to MVP. Third round, I had MVP and then Ian Garry came out with the double leg.”
While looking at Page’s record, Zahabi highlighted that many of his opponents in Bellator can’t be compared to the top-ranked UFC welterweights. Apart from Holland and Douglas Lima, his most notable win is over Paul Daley. According to GSP’s coach, Lima won the rematch against “Venom”, which is why he isn’t impressed by the latter’s resume.
“It was a close fight but those are just higher level competitors. And It Was the First Time We see Him Against higher level competitors. The THing is MVP’s Had a lot of fights in his career but he’s fought a lot of guys you’ve never heard of. He’s fought a lot of guys you’ve never heard of.”
The coach said that most of Page’s opponents won’t make it to the top 15 in the UFC welterweight division. As a result, “Venom” might be overwhelmed by the competition in the promotion.
Zahabi gave Page his props for the impressive win over Holland and advised him to continue fighting the top 15 ranked UFC welterweights. He didn’t sound confident about MVP winning gold at 170 pounds, though.
Ahead of their bout at UFC 303, Ian Garry made an accusation regarding Michael “Venom” Page and his team.
The Irishman claimed at the press conference on fight week that someone from Page’s circle had tried to gain information about Garry from someone in Brazil, where he spent his training camp.
Page recently spoke about his side of this story where he made it clear that he knows nothing about Garry’s claims and wouldn’t want information anyways.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page Says He Doesn’t Know Of & Wouldn’t Want Someone Trying To Get Information For Him
Page appeared on The MMA Hour where he was asked for his interpretation of Garry’s accusations and what his reaction to them was at the time.
He says that whilst things like that do happen in MMA and has happened to him in the past, it’s not something that he was aware of in this training camp.
“When he was saying it I was like I don’t even know, I’m not entertaining it just because it sounded like he was just shouting a lot of stuff with an Irish accent so I was just like I don’t care. When I listened to it after, I was like I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not me anyway. There’s always gonna be guys in people’s camps should I say that are gonna be reporting back. We’ve had that in our camp before and we find out who it is and kick them out, same stuff, but I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Page also said that if Garry is correct in what he is saying, he would be incredibly frustrated that someone would try to go behind his back to get information without him wanting it.
“Yeah, 100% because I don’t need it. I don’t feel like I need it, especially for him and again, I try not to be disrespectful to him because it’s not personal at all but I don’t feel like I needed to get any extra information to do what I need to do, what I know I can do, or should have done should I say, in that last fight.”
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 5, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
“MVP” plans to learn and come back stronger from UFC 303 setback
WBC refuses to work with Ryan Garcia after latest offensive outburst
Ankalaev believes he can exploit Pereira’s striking in one area
Michael ‘Venom’ Page Speaks On Social Media After First UFC Setback
Michael “Venom” Page suffered his first defeat in the Octagon at UFC 303 this past weekend where he was beaten on the scorecards by Ian Garry.
Despite displaying some of his unpredictable striking at it’s best, he was unable to prevent his opponent from taking the fight to the ground.
Page could have been lined up for a massive fight if he was able to hand Garry the first defeat of his career, but now it’s time to go back to the drawing board for the London-based fighter.
Page spoke for the first time since the setback via a post on his Instagram profile, where he reflected about learning from this defeat in order to come back stronger.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. #ufc303”
WBC Cut All Ties With Ryan Garcia After Latest Controversial Rant Goes Too Far
WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán has taken action against controversial boxing star Ryan Garcia after his latest outburst pushed the line too far.
Garcia made headlines after using incredibly offensive racial slurs and referencing George Floyd during a rant on X Spaces.
With Garcia’s behavior only appearing to become more erratic and troubling since his clash with Devin Haney, the people around him are starting to act.
Sulaimán said that the governing body will be cutting all ties with Garcia from this point on and refuse to work with him.
His post on social media also makes reference to how he has declined the opportunity for help from the WBC on multiple occasions, claiming that they wished to support him through is struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
“Exercising my authority as president of the WBC , I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization. We reject any form of discrimination. I fear for Ryan well being as he has declined multiple attempts for our help with mental health and substance abuse”
Exercising my authority as president of the WBC , I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization. We reject any form of discrimination. I fear for Ryan well being as he has declined multiple attempts for our help with mental health and substance abuse pic.twitter.com/pCIOH2am7B
This latest outburst also led to Garcia’s family putting out a statement, insisting that they don’t support the things he said and that they don’t reflect who he truly is.
Magomed Ankalaev Makes Bold Claim About Alex Pereira’s Striking
Ask any MMA fan who the best striker in the sport is right now and you’re likely to be given the name of the UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
Magomed Ankalaev believes that he will dethrone “Poatan” when they eventually meet, and while he would be expected to have an advantage in the grappling, he also believes that he can out strike the champion.
Ankalaev spoke in an interview with Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie about the one aspect that he sees in Pereira’s striking that he believes he would be able to take advantage of.
“I think he is a great striker. But he is the kind of guy who always moves forward, and that is where sometimes he might make a mistake. That’s where I might catch him,” Ankalaev continued. “Definitely he has a strong punch, but I think just overall, his standup fight is overrated. Watch his fight with Jamahal Hill; he had something to offer to counter him. Same with the fight with Procházka. … He was probably lucky or didn’t face serious opposition. Wrestling is there, but I’m ready to fight with him standing up.”
Ian Machado Garry doubles down on his allegations against “MVP”.
The lead up to UFC 303 was chaotic to say the least. The postponement of the main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler dominated the headlines in the weeks before International Fight Week, and the carousel of replacement fighters that were drafted into (and subsequently fell back out of) the co-main event slot beggared belief.
The bizarre fight card shake-up continued well into fight day, as Dan Ige was drafted in at the last second to replace Brian Ortega opposite Diego Lopes in scenes never witnessed before in UFC history.
— “The Future” Ian Machado Garry (@iangarryMMA) June 27, 2024
Speaking at the press conference after his unanimous decision victory over ‘MVP’ ‘The Future’ doubled down on the accusations.
“We do all these drug tests, we do all this stuff to go, ‘you’re clean, you’re not doing drugs’…but someone came out here and offered money for my information from my team? Thank God Chute Boxe is f**kin rock solid” said the Irishman. “Thank God Chute Boxe go ‘No’…we shut it down and we locked everything down, nothing went out. We had a blackout on Instagram and stuff and socials”.
‘That’s Filthy And That’s Cheating’ – Garry Doesn’t Let Page Off The Hook
Garry said in the post-fight press conference that he has already reported the allegations to the powers-that-be and also queried whether his opponent may have a history of this kind of behavior – and whether there may be evidence of links to gambling.
“For me, I said to the (Nevada State Athletic) Commission, they were like, ‘Look, there’s no rules against it’. I was like, ‘Well let’s make sure there is, because it’s cheating and it’s dirty and we can’t be doing all this stuff when it comes to testing and making sure the sport’s clean, and then people are being dirty in other regards. So let’s make a rule.
“And also, has anyone ever made money on it? Has there ever been any side bets on it? If you know what I know and I’m putting money on it because we have inside information it’s f**kin dirty…so that’s what I think when I said there should be suspension for life. I believe that if you go check the bank accounts and if you go check the bookies I guarantee there’s been some money won somewhere along the line, and that’s filthy and that’s cheating to me”.
Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 2, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
Makhachev, Poirier, Chandler & McGregor all trade shots
Sanko says “MVP” needs the right dance partner
Cejudo still has Pereira grappling concerns
Top UFC Lightweights Makhachev, Poirier, Chandler & McGregor Engage In Social Media Crossfire
Some of the top names in the UFC’s lightweight division have been exchanging blows on social media with Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler all letting their feelings about one another be known.
The conversation was sparked by a post from Poirier where he said if Arman Tsarukyan is unable to fight for the lightweight title, he would be happy to jump back in with Makhachev following their fight at UFC 302.
“The Diamond” had also been firing back at Conor McGregor in response to the recent social media posts that were made by “The Notorious” in reference to their previous encounters.
Makhachev replied to Poirier’s message, as did fellow top lightweight Chandler who then also went back-and-forth with the lightweight champion due to their history inside the Octagon.
The full series of crossfire posts shows that there is no love lost between any of the four lightweights.
Laura Sanko Says Michael ‘Venom’ Page Needs The Right Match-Up After UFC 303 Defeat
Michael “Venom” Page was defeated by Ian Garry at UFC 303 after the Irishman used his grappling to secure the victory.
Whilst Page had some strong moments on the feet, he was taken down and out-grappled by one of the welterweight contenders who isn’t known for this particular skill set.
UFC commentator Laura Sanko spoke in an interview with Submission Radio about how this fight showed some of the flaws in Page’s game.
She said that whilst there are still plenty of options for “MVP” in the UFC, it needs to be against the right opponent after what we saw this past weekend.
“Yeah, he definitely showed a little bit of lack of depth in terms of the details of the ground game and I think anybody that really appreciates the fine art of jiu-jitsu is going to spot those.
“There are still plenty of really interesting, fun fights for MVP on the UFC roster. The truth of the matter is he needs the right stylistic match-up.”
Henry Cejudo Says The Jury Is Still Out On Alex Pereira And His Grappling
Former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo isn’t ready to start calling Alex Pereira the best in the world right now due to one concern.
Despite being able to deal with other strikers in emphatic fashion, as he did in the main event of UFC 303, a huge test awaits him in Magomed Ankalaev.
Cejudo also referred to the fact that Pereira is yet to mention a potential super fight with the heavyweight champion Jon Jones because of the wrestling pedigree that “Bones” brings to the table.
“Either way, Alex Pereira, he’s not mentioning Jon Jones because I think he knows that Jon Jones has that special sauce, and it’s called wrestling. But that being said, I want to see the fight with Ankalaev.”
Ireland’s Ian Garry is set to return when he takes on the division’s exciting newcomer in Michael “Venom” Page.
After beating Kevin Holland in his debut at UFC 299 in March, “MVP” will look to shoot up the rankings by taking out Garry in the #7-spot who has spent a lot longer in the promotion, building up his current undefeated winning streak.
Despite the sniper-like striking skills that both men bring to the table, there are some that believe that this fight may not make for the best stylistic clash despite how interesting a fight it is on paper.
Sean O’Malley & Tim Welch Aren’t Sure That The Styles Of Ian Garry And ‘MVP’ Will Gel At UFC 303
On the latest episode of the TimboSugaShow, UFC bantamweight champion and his coach Tim Welch discussed the announcement of this fight.
O’Malley stayed positive on the fight, saying that it should be interesting even if it isn’t a great watch on the night.
“Could be fun, could be fun”
Welch, however, was less confident as he spoke about how them both being counter strikers could make this one a difficult fight to get through.
“I feel like there’s a good chance it’s going to be boring. There’s going to be, I just feel like, watch Ian Garry versus Neil Magny, backing up, backing up. ‘Venom’ Page isn’t the type to stalk someone down and cut them off and put them against the fence and make it a fight.”
O’Malley rounded things out with joking about how both men could retreat until they both hit the opposite sides of the Octagon.
Despite this concern, he is still excited to watch the fight to see who gets the better of the striking exchanges when they do happen.
Bellator is currently working to put flashy welterweight Michael “Venom” Page against champion Yaroslav Amosov for a card in London, England.
Bellator President Scott Coker revealed the plans in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. He mentioned he hopes to make the fight for early 2022, although an exact date hasn’t been worked out yet.
“I know MVP was kinda back-and-forth, ‘do I want to fight Lima again, do I want to fight Amosov’ and then we said hey, just go think about it,” Coker said. “Our opinion as a company is you want to take the next step. You want to go fight for the belt now. This is your time. If you don’t do it now, when are you gonna do it? and then you can come back and fight Lima again in the future. So to me, it’s the right fight to put together. I think it’ll happen in the second quarter. It will be in London and it will be a massive fight over there because he’s such a big star.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Page Getting Title Fight Following Important Win
Page is being put in a title fight position for the first time in his career. He is also coming off arguably the biggest win of his career thus far.
Page is being put in the title fight after avenging the sole pro loss in his career. He recently defeated former champ Lima, beating him via split decision.
The potential fight could be Amosov’s first fight as the Bellator Welterweight Champion. He earned the belt in June, going five rounds against Lima for a decision win. The victory continued his flawless pro career that includes 26 wins as a whole and seven victories in Bellator.
Who would you pick in a fight between Yaroslav Amosov and Michael “Venom” Page?
