AS BELLATOR 223 took over Wembley’s SSE Arena last month, Michael ‘Venom’ Page was cage-side and cut the figure of a man itching to get back inside.
Coming off the first loss of his professional career, the fighter spoke to The Voice about how he has dealt with it, and said he is desperate to put things right.
“I had the bug as soon as I lost that last fight, I feel like I was still dominating, I let myself down on the basics, or MMA 101, as we call it,” he said.
Page’s loss came against two-time welterweight world champion Douglas Lima, who he says he respects: “Lima is an amazing fighter, I respect him, if I could’ve lost to anyone I’m glad it was him.”
Page says he is no stranger to defeat, having been in combat sports most of his life: “I don’t take myself too seriously in general, they let the losses control them and I didn’t start in combat in MMA, I’ve had a lot of ass whoopings, I understand what loss feels like, and what it can do.”
MVP made headlines last year when he swapped the octagon for the ring and got his professional boxing licence, boxing with Hayemaker Promotions. The Londoner was starting to get his peers’ attention in the boxing world, but with a sudden hiatus, is it still something he is pursuing as a venture?
“I’ve never told anyone this – there’s a lot of politics in boxing, full stop,” he said. “Someone put in a formal complaint against me, saying that I shouldn’t be allowed to do MMA and boxing at the same time. So, my boxing licence has been on hold.
“There’s a grey area in the boxing rules and regulations, so they have to put a rule in to clarify it and of course this takes time. I hate politics, and this is why I didn’t start boxing in the first place.”
BIGGER
He added: “I would have loved to have another match in this period now while I wait for the next MMA fight, but that’s not possible. It is still something I’d like to do, there’s some bigger names I’d like to test myself against, whether I win or lose.
“I think I can get a belt in the UK, and push forward and win bigger things, but it’s not something I’m willing to chase and chase at this moment in time.”
With a boxing return ruled out for the immediate future, speculation of Page’s next opponent in the octagon is circulating.
However, he isn’t fussed at all. He said: “I just want to get back in the cage. I’ve been asking Bellator – I can do August, September, anything! I don’t care who, what, where or when, I just want to get back in there.”
There have been whispers of a rematch with old foe Raymond Daniels, who Page fought against as a kickboxer, but MVP says that he and Raymond are great friends and it would take a seismic offer to get them to square off.
PROVOKING
“For me, people need to understand, we are good friends, If anybody wants that fight they have to pay us a hell of a lot of money. Outside of that we are great friends, it’s never going to happen,” he said.
Ever the entertainer on social media, Page recently sent a tweet provoking rising Irish MMA stay Richard Kiely.
When asked about him as a potential opponent, Page was dismissive: “I don’t actually care for him, I just wanted to put him on the blast a little bit, I just wanted to embarrass him, he just seems to talk and talk, and I can expect it against me as he’s using my name, but now he’s started with my teammates, it’s started to bug me.”
A return to the cage is the immediate plan for Page, but following his career, he has aims to get onto the silver screen, and says it’s important for fighters to give themselves an outlet beyond combat.
“I want to get into acting,” he said. “I’ve already done bits and pieces, you have to have something that’s going to push you.
“It’s important to have something to go for after your fighting career as you lose out on an adrenaline rush that it can be hard to get elsewhere. I think that’s why legends find it hard to walk away, because they haven’t given themselves a way out.”
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