Michael “Venom” Page is eyeing an all-Europe showdown for his next UFC bout.
After his victorious UFC debut earlier this month against Kevin Holland at UFC 299, Page, a longtime Bellator standout, aims to compete at the promotion’s rumored return to England in July. He hopes this fight will add the spice of an England vs. Ireland rivalry.
Garry Comments on “MVP”
Page expressed his desire on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, emphasizing the potential for interest in such a matchup, given recent controversies surrounding his opponent.
“Just looking at the rankings, I think one that makes the most sense would be Ian [Machado] Garry,” Page told Helwani. “Considering he thought I wasn’t going to get past Kevin. There was an interview he did, I’m not sure on what, they asked him his views on me. He was like, ‘Who is he fighting? Oh he’s not going to beat Kevin. No way he gets past Kevin.’ Very dismissive. Which is fine. People ask me about my views, everyone is entitle to their opinion. There’s no need to be angry about it, but now I’ve gotten past and maybe you could stop me?
“In the U.K. as well, it’s perfect. That would be a lot of noise there, and I think it’s a good fight. I think he’s ranked seventh, seven is my lucky number.”
While Garry’s recent actions and comments outside the cage have stirred controversy, Page views it as an opportunity to boost interest.
Page Responds
In his most recent bout at UFC 298, Garry secured a split decision victory over Geoff Neal, a performance Page acknowledged as subpar but didn’t affect his own interest.
“He’s a great fighter,” Page said. “Again, no need to be negative towards anybody. He’s sparked a lot of emotional reactions from a lot of people, from his personality, his performances, he’s doing good. But I definitely believe I can beat him, so why not?”
Despite Garry’s current focus on a potential fight with Colby Covington, Page remains open to any matchup that brings him closer to his ultimate goal: winning a UFC title. It’s quite a shift from his time in Bellator where he believes he lacked such focus, ultimately hindering his title aspirations.
“I feel like I was very blasé about getting the belt in general. Every time I got there I was like, ‘I’m just enjoying myself, fighting, duh duh duh.’ I think that attitude means you’re going target because I’m not actually aiming for it. Whereas here I’m like, ‘No, I want the belt.’
“I don’t know. I just feel like being a bit more specific about your intentions is going to help with where you get to. Just understanding now, this makes me change what I voice. So yeah, I want the title over here, whereas in Bellator I was like, ‘Eh, if I get the title I don’t care, I just want exciting fights.’ I delivered exciting fights and never got the title. Now I’m here I’m like, ‘I want exciting fights, I want exciting knockouts, and I want the belt.’ There’s a difference.”
