Michael Page alleges referee Dan Mirgliotta shoved, cursed at him following Bellator: Dublin victory on Friday.
After having a point deducted at Bellator: Dublin for showboating, Michael Page has lobbed a pretty serious allegation against ref Dan Miragliotta.
Miragliotta, one of the most recognizable officials in mixed martial arts, caused a stir by docking MVP a point shortly before his finish of Richard Kiely Friday night, which came via a flying knee. Page (15-1), of course, is known for his flashy, showboating style, not all that dissimilar to the likes of Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya.
Whatever your thoughts on the point deduction at the 3Arena in Dublin, what Page claims happened after the fight is more concerning.
“He pushed me at the end and called me a piece of sh*t. Nobody should do that,” Page claimed post fight. “That says to me there’s something personal there. I don’t know what it is, but I demand an apology from him, or he’s never refereeing me ever again.”
Page said his coach overhead the comment, and his team were clearly upset by something that transpired at the end of the fight.
Even with an apology, Page added he doesn’t want Big Dan ever officiating his fights ever again, calling the ref’s actions “very unprofessional of him.”
Earlier, Page suggested that ‘Big’ Dan has had it out for him from the start. “Dan for me, has a personal issue with me. I don’t know where it comes from,” recalled Page. “My second Bellator fight, I was walking down the ramp back stage, and I remember, you’re trying to get yourself in the zone. Everyone knows me, I’m a showman. I came out with my glasses, and he’s like ‘take them off, it’s not Hollywood.’ This is the first time I’ve ever met him, straight away I felt a bit rubbed off the wrong way, but just let it go, took my glasses off, carried on, put on a show.”
“Now to see that again, that was disgusting,” he added.
Michael Mazzulli of the Mohegan Sun Commission, who regulates Bellator’s overseas shows, fined Kiely for giving the middle finger to Page during the event. Per a report by MMA Fighting, Mazzulli, who is also a member of the Association of Boxing Commissions, will review tape to consider further sanctions, including against Page for poor sportsmanship.
