Nothing is over! Michael ‘Venom’ Page said following Bellator 216 on Saturday that despite getting his hand raised against Paul Daley, their feud is far from done — though he feels his rival would be better off in retirement.
Uncasville, CT — Michael Page vs. Paul Daley, the main event of Bellator 216 on Saturday night, was one of the biggest grudge matches in Bellator MMA history. That’s not hyperbole. In a build that lasted years, with both men trashing the other in interviews and on social media, the groundwork was set for an absolute firefight.
Both fighters, after all, were dangerous strikers. Deadly. Capable of feats in the cage few others could manage. Both had a signature flying knee victory in Bellator. So imagine the surprise when Paul Daley decided to come out and wrestle. ‘Venom’ Page certainly wasn’t expecting it, he admitted to reporters including Cageside Press backstage following Bellator 216.
That said, he’ll take the win. But the feud may not be over. “In honesty, it’s not done,” MVP said. While admitting that he is “somewhat happy, obviously, getting a win,” he quickly added “but no, it’s not done. And it might mean actually bringing this fight to the UK in future.”
Many feel the U.K. is where the fight should have happened originally. Putting the two biggest stars of British MMA in Connecticut did feel like strange booking, to be sure. Then again, fans aren’t exactly chomping at the bit for a rematch after what happened at Bellator 216. Through the first round, Daley refused to engage, clearly wary of being drawn into a counter. Nary a strike was thrown. Then, a man known for his knockout skills opted to wrestle.
Paul Daley? Wrestling?
‘Semtex,’ however, wasn’t the only one worthy of criticism. At times, Page was simply unable to get out from under Daley, who isn’t exactly known for his wrestling prowess. However, any ire directed at Michael Page might be tempered by the knowledge that he headed into the fight coping with the death of his father.
And he knows Saturday wasn’t a shining moment. “I’m not happy with my performance,” he acknowledged. “I’m proud of myself because it wasn’t just a physical battle in there, it was a mental battle. It’s been very difficult since Christmas. To be able to even train for this fight, just being here and getting in the cage, it’s been extremely difficult.”
“So I’m proud of myself for doing it, still not happy for the performance,” MVP continued. “I made a lot of mistakes, myself. At the same time, I told you guys he was a bitch, man. He didn’t really want it.”
It’s hard to argue that point. Daley simply did not look himself on Saturday. “He was talking all this stuff about being able to knock me out,” pointed out ‘Venom,’ “and he ran the whole the first round. Then all he wanted to do was play ground work. Play wrestling.”
“This guy’s a veteran in terms of the amount of times he’s been in that cage. This is my first five-rounder, and I was physically better than him, physically stronger than him, still going in even the fifth round.” Page frankly sounded incredulous on that point. “And he was dying. He made some terrible mistakes in the fifth round that definitely allowed me to kind of regain and capitalize and then take over.”
Page’s unanimous decision victory is not just a win over ‘Semtex.’ It was a win that knocked Daley out of the welterweight grand prix. Stole from him what might have been his last chance at a major title. Asked whether that fact made the win any more satisfying, MVP suggested it did. Then added, “where does he go after I beat him? Seriously, where does he go?”
“I believe he should retire, and just be done with it, because he’s not good enough,” Page said of his opponent. “His gym is a sham. Anyone in Nottingham, or Newcastle, where ever the hell he lives, don’t ever go there. He overcharges and under-delivers, the same way he did here. Undelivered.”
“I don’t see him going anywhere. The reason why he’s been at the level that he is, is because he can’t get past the top echelon of the sport. He reminds me of Arsenal.”
Watch the full Bellator 216 post-fight press scrum with Michael Page above!
