Not if. When.
That’s essentially what Michael Page said when asked about becoming one of Bellator’s biggest stars. The dynamic British welterweight believes it’s a foregone conclusion.
“I don’t just think that, I know that,” Page said. “I know I will be one of the biggest faces of MMA. If I’m part of Bellator, then I’m going to be the biggest face on Bellator. I know I have the ability to do that, because of my style. I’ve created so much waves with just the few fights that I’ve got. That’s what I’m going to be.”
Page (7-0), one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, will meet Rudy Bears at Bellator 140 on Friday night at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. As good as the undefeated striker is, the knock on Page is that he hasn’t fought anyone that good. Bears (16-13) is probably his toughest test to date, but he is essentially a journeyman.
“Venom” has heard that criticism and doesn’t necessarily agree with it. But he also wants to remind people that he’s only been in MMA for three years, despite his pedigree as a kickboxing world champion.
“At the moment, I’m in cruise control, because there’s a lot I need to learn about myself in MMA,” Page said. “For me, it’s more of a personal journey. That’s why I’m not rushing to take top fights for the sake of it. And I could have done that. I could run my mouth a bit more and call out fighters and I would have gotten it.”
Bellator under Bjorn Rebney and now Scott Coker obviously knows what it has on its hands with Page — an incredibly exciting, charismatic future star. Page, 28, could be much more than just a bridge to England, but also one of Bellator’s biggest, somewhat homegrown stars. Right now, Bellator’s ratings draws are older fighters who people know from other organizations, like Tito Ortiz and Kimbo Slice.
“I know I don’t have that far to go before I’m that for Bellator,” Page said. “I’m happy for that, because I think Bellator is an amazing show. I think Scott Coker is amazing and I’m happy to grow with a show like that.”
In his position, though, every bout is almost a must-win. Page and Bellator can’t necessarily afford a loss at this point in his evolution — at least not if they want his ascent to increase in speed. So while the bout against Bears seems inconsequential to some, it’s a massive one for Page and those promoting him.
“I really do want to torture my next opponent,” Page said. “I want to make a statement. I actually don’t want to put him away quickly. I want him to be resilient. I want to see in his eyes during the fight, ‘Why the hell did I take this fight?’ I’ve seen that before.”
There’s certainly no formula for stardom, but if there were Page would be able to check off quite a few boxes. He doesn’t really talk trash, but in his mind it isn’t necessary.
“For me, my style speaks so loudly that I don’t have to talk,” Page said. “I’ve got people calling me out now in this industry already and I don’t even have a belt. The fact that they’re calling my name out means I must be doing something right.”
With a win over Bears, Page might actually get a contender. And Bellator’s 170-pound division isn’t the deepest. He isn’t too far from title shots and main events at this point. But he’s also not rushing it.
“I think my last hurdle is shutting the crowd up with regards to people saying he hasn’t fought anybody of a high caliber,” Page said. “I think when you see me against what people classify as bigger names and I’m still putting them away in exciting fashion and doing exactly what I’m doing now, then people will say, ‘He’s the real deal. He is exactly what he seemed to be in the beginning. It wasn’t a joke.'”
His opponents certainly haven’t been laughing.