Former Bellator welterweight champion and all-around entertainer Michael ‘Venom’ Page stepped back into the cage at Bellator 292 for the first time since his failed bid for the interim welterweight belt in 2022.
The karateka faced veteran submission specialist Goiti Yamauchi, who did not use his grappling but his hands to knock out Neiman Gracie in a main event in his last bout. It seemed likely he would return to his grappling-heavy attack though, due to fighting an expert striker in MVP.
As it turned out, Yamauchi never even had the chance to use his grappling.
Page came out in his traditional bouncy karate stance, slowly pressuring forward. Page threw a single low kick and bizarrely Goiti Yamauchi fell down right away. On replay, it could be seen that it landed directly on his kneecap. The kneecap distorted badly on impact, seeming to pop upwards, horrifyingly.
That kick… 😱
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As quick and unexpected as it was, this fight will go down in the books as a KO finish for MVP. He became the first man to finish Goiti, in Yamauchi’s thirty-fourth fight. Page also took top spot for most knockouts in Bellator history with this kick, and he graciously wished his veteran opponent a speedy recovery in his post-fight interview.
Official Result: Michael Page def. Goiti Yamauchi by KO (leg kick), Round 1, 0:26
