Michael Page, one of the most exciting prospects in the Bellator promotion or anywhere else in MMA, has to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Curtis Millender Friday at Bellator 134 due to injury.
Ariel Helwani announced the news Monday on his show The MMA Hour, as relayed by Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com.
Brennan Ward will replace Page in the welterweight contest.
The decisive injury was a cut next to his left eye (Caution: Link contains graphic imagery), which required stitches to close. Page took to Twitter to explain the decision to withdraw and apologized to fans.
I wanted to fight but my coaches pulled me due to the location of the cut not the cut itself, not wanting it to open during the fight
— Michael Venom Page (@Michaelpage247) February 24, 2015
And receive a doctor stoppage due to a cut likely to open during this next bout I will be back to training and back to @BellatorMMA ASAP
— Michael Venom Page (@Michaelpage247) February 24, 2015
The 27-year-old Page (7-0) is 3-0 inside the Bellator cage, with two of those wins coming by knockout. He is known for a creative, high-octane kickboxing attack, which frequently produces highlight-reel stoppages.
As a result, Page has drawn major attention as a big-time up-and-comer in the sport and has even been compared favorably to Jon Jones, the UFC light heavyweight champion who also garnered praise for exciting striking attacks.
Unfortunately, though, Page may also be prone to injuries. Previous absences and withdrawals have been the result of various problems with his knees, ankle and jaw. Injuries are the prime reason why Page has only fought seven times as a pro. He also only has three fights with Bellator, despite debuting with the promotion back in 2013.
Assuming there are no complications from the cut or additional injuries, it is probably safe to assume that Bellator honchos will attempt to rebook Page as soon as possible. Though he is still young in age and in the sport, he is no longer on the young side of his career and should be considered someone who is entering or fully inside his prime.
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