Michael Page is a British mixed martial artist, with an unorthodox kickboxing style originating from his time in freestyle kickboxing. Page is 6 feet 3 inches and weighs in at 170lbs meaning he would be a welterweight. 21-2 is his record with 16 finishes and only being knocked out once.
Despite his record, MVP has fallen short of picking up gold; losing in the Grand Prix semi-final and interim title fight.
Bare Knuckle Boxing was also a venture Page went on but lost via decision to Mike Perry in late 2022, his last fight was on 10 March 2023. He then sought free agency inevitably linking him to the UFC.
Fighting Style:
MVP is a fan-friendly fighter. He is unorthodox and sometimes wild with his long reach. His kickboxing is very high quality and flashy similar to Adesanya. His style is seen as a ‘hands down kickboxing approach’. Controlling distance and landing powerful counterstrikes with high accuracy are all a part of his game plan. He is quite like Kevin Holland, with his antics like riling up the crowd and talking to opponents in the cage.
Links to the UFC:
Recently, Israel Adesanya has collaborated with MVP on his YouTube channel. They met up in London and talked online. Adesanya and Page have always been linked due to their similar styles and bodies. At UFC 294, MVP was seen at the ceremonial weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi before taking a picture with Dana White. This left fans questioning whether will Page join the UFC in the coming weeks.
Page has also said he would only fight the top 5-10 opponents and doesn’t need a warmup fight, this isn’t surprising given his vast amount of experience. Looking to fight the best of the best and reach the title similar to Michael Chandler who took a similar career path; joining the UFC at a later stage of his career
Criticisms of MVP are him fighting low talent his whole career other than (Paul Daley and Douglas Lima) so a UFC change at 36 will be tough.
Potential Matchups:
A fight with Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson has always been wanted due to their styles and same weight class. Thompson is scheduled to fight Shavkat Rahkmonov at UFC 296 in December. This matchup would be convenient as ‘Wonderboy’ is currently in the top 10 rankings. Also, is at the later stages of his career like MVP.
Shavkat Rahkmonov offered to welcome Page to the UFC. This was before the Thompson fight was announced. Shavkat has shown interest and both have similar styles with great Kickboxing. Preferably for MVP, Shavkat is not a predominant wrestler like many welterweight contenders.
Kevin Holland would be an option considering he is just outside of the top 10. Both like to talk to their opponent and taunt them regularly. Furthermore, Holland displays strong kickboxing in his fights. Their styles and attitudes being so similar would create a fun matchup.
Geoff Neal is a predominant boxer with perfect punch power. Both being veterans and strikers would suggest Neal MVP could be a strong matchup. Neal’s punch power would cause issues for MVP. Neal had success against Shavkat showing he still has quality.
Conclusion:
It looks more and more likely that MVP will make his long-awaited UFC debut after 10 years at Bellator. He eyes legacy fights against the best in the world. Being present at UFC 294 makes it more likely. This will be a good chance following Bellator’s changes being made. Now Page can compete against the best competition with contenders like Ian Garry and Jack Della Maddalena.
MVP potentially being out of his prime at 36 with 2 losses in his last 3 combat sports fights. Despite this, he will become a fan favourite with his likeable style and fun antics within the octagon. This late change could be similar to Chandler’s success or Askren’s downfall, time will tell if this was a good choice.
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