Chicago — After suggesting during the UFC 319 media day this past Wednesday that his power didn’t quite translate at 185lbs, Michael “Venom” Page proceeded to knock Jared Cannonier down twice on Saturday.
Maybe it does translate after all. Having won a clear decision victory, the former (and if he has his way, future) welterweight was quite happy with getting back to being closer to the “MVP” of old.
“Especially in the first two rounds. Made a little mistake in the last round, and then he’s so strong. He has really heavy hips. It was then very difficult to do anything,” Page (24-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the United Center in Chicago. “Obviously a little more fatigued in the third round, but definitely starting to get to that MVP. Still not quite there, it’s annoying. Still not quite there, but definitely starting to get to that MVP that I remember.”
“It’s not even about the decision,” added Page. Nor is it about the finish. While he wants those — “I want those moments, I want to gift those moments to the crowd, to the fans” — Page says it’s more about himself and how he’s feeling. “I just know those will come when I get to that stage of myself, and I’m just, I’m almost there. Not quite yet.”
For years, a certain segment of the MMA fanbase (the ones who frankly don’t look far past the letters U, F, and C) criticized Michael Page for fighting “cans.” While those “cans” included talented fighters like Fernando Gonzalez, Caveman Rickels, Douglas Lima, and Logan Storley among others, MVP does admit that his UFC experience has been at the next level.
“I always within myself knew I could fight at this level, at this level of competitors. Jared Cannonier, look who he’s fought, look at his resume. Unbelievable. And again I was still able to be myself, be that MVP that people usually say can’t do it to these guys. And I did it a weight up.”
“If anybody questions us still now, there’s nothing for me to— obviously you’re not a true fan of the sport,” he finished.
With Page now 2-0 as a middleweight in the UFC, there’s some question as to where his current path leads. He’s repeatedly expressed the desire to return to welterweight. For one, an October fight with Carlos Prates (who to be fair called out another British star, Leon Edwards) in Rio in October is appealing. Page, who noted he’s been called the “English Anderson Silva,” is a big fan of that fight, and of getting to visit his Brazilian fans. Ultimately, he’ll press for the right opportunities.
“You have to be the maker of your own destiny. You can’t be pushed to other people’s ideas of you. If there’s a great fight and I really want it, then I’ll push to get that fight.”
Still, MVP just beat a former title challenger at 185lbs. It seems the middleweight division just doesn’t want to let him go, and he doesn’t know what he’ll need to do to escape it. Especially when it’s been hard to land opponents at 170.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. Prates seems like he’s a game kind of guy. That might be the next fight. I don’t think he’ll turn it down. He seems like he just loves to fight, he loves it,” Page told Cageside Press.
“I think there’s always going to be opportunities, it might just be a timing thing. I don’t like to put people on blocks and say ‘everybody’s scared of me!’ No, it’s definitely not that. These guys are warriors. It might just be again, tactical for some people, but also timing for other people. And it just might be the right time.”
“It does feel like the middleweight division is like ‘yeah stay here,’ and I am enjoying myself. I feel good,” added Page. “So we’ll see. I do want to go back down a couple more times at least.”
Watch the full UFC 319 post-fight press conference with Michael Page above.
