Michael “Venom” page has the stage to be a star for the UFC, and after seeing his performance against Kevin Holland, he has the skills.
Michael “Venom” Page proved the doubters wrong on Saturday night, dogwalking Kevin Holland across three rounds for a dominant unanimous decision win at UFC 299.
We knew a lot about MVP coming into this fight. He’s been fighting under the Bellator banner for a decade, generating some of the most ridiculous highlights to come out of the promotion. His fighting flair is unparalleled. His showmanship is unquestionable. But many doubted that he would be able to hang with legit talent in the UFC.
That’s not just the haters, either. Bellator never shied away from booking “Venom” favorably to encourage more highlight reel footage. There were plenty of nightmare stylistic match-ups against other top fighters in his division that were never seriously considered. That overt favoritism has hurt Page’s stock over the years. Legitimacy has hard to curry, especially with Bellator’s shrinking visibility over the years.
MICHAEL “VENOM” PAGE’S WALKOUT IN HIS UFC DEBUT #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/3LyT5YW6IS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 10, 2024
After a KO loss to Douglas Lima in 2019, Bellator put Page back on the sideshow circuit. He’d avenge that loss to Lima (with a controversial hometown decision), but go on to lose to interim Bellator champ Logan Storley in the follow-up fight.
So you had a guy who shined against lower level opponents but struggled against the best in Bellator. How would he fare in the UFC? There’s few easy fights in the promotion, but there are some that are stylistically kinder than others. The UFC picked welterweight gatekeeper Kevin Holland to test their new signee, and MVP rose to the occasion.
Holland has a solid ground game, but never developed his offensive wrestling to take the fight there. Why would he? He prefers to stand and bang, which usually works well for him when his opponent obliges. Michael “Venom” Page obliged, and then picked him apart at distance for the majority of their fight, clowning on him periodically.
It was an impressive performance — despite his faults, Kevin Holland is no joke. The win, and how MVP won, erase any doubt that Page is all smoke and mirrors. Would he be able to hang with some of the more aggressive power-wrestlers in the division? That’s another question entirely, but that’s an issue for half the top 15 at 170.
Speaking of that, Michael “Venom” Page vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Book it up!
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