‘MVP’ teases fans over a possible grudge match with Paul Daley.
After Michael Venom Page’s scintillating performance against against David Rickels at Bellator 200, the fight on everyone’s lips is MVP vs. Paul Daley.
The two welterweights have been at each other’s throats for well over a year, and Daley believes the fight will ‘definitely’ happen in the future.
Page, however, isn’t convinced Daley really wants the fight and told reporters at the Bellator 200 media scrum that ‘Semtex’ was starstruck on Friday night.
“Who’s that?” Page joked when asked whether he would be interested in a Bellator showdown with Daley, forcing the reporter to refer to his British rival as ‘Paula Tampax Daley’. “I heard a few people tell me that he almost had hearts in his eyes. Like, he was there like ‘oh my god’. He was mesmerized, you know what I mean?
“He don’t want none of me man, c’mon.”
Daley, 35, was ringside for the event and reportedly had a meeting with Bellator president Scott Coker in hopes of mending his turbulent relationship with the fight promotion. The knockout artist feels he’s undervalued and is deserving of a higher-profile within the company.
Page, who trains out of London Shootfighters, believes he’s the official ‘face’ of Bellator, telling reporters that ‘no one’ fights quite like he does when the cage door closes.
“Everyone’s talking about belts, and I could not give a damn about who’s wearing what belt,” he said, per MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco and Abbey Subhan. “No one fights like I do. With or without the belt, I’m the face of this company.”
The 31-year-old talent forced Rickels to quit after taunting him for the majority of the contest and landing a crushing right hand in the second round, scoring the first verbal submission win of his career.
Despite his plethora of highlight reel finishes and outrageously entertaining fighting style, Page has been heavily criticized for facing sub-par opponents and avoiding top-level talent, which is why a fight with Daley is the only matchup that makes sense at this stage of his career. A British grudge match with Daley has all the makings of a classic, and will help gauge MVP’s true skill level and ability.