Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images
Things escalated quickly between Michael “Venom” Page and Richard Kiely at the Bellator Dublin staredown on Tuesday.
A game of oneupsmanship at Tuesday’s Bellator Dublin staredowns got out of hand real quick.
Michael Page and Richard Kiely were invited to staredown for media at a press conference. The mind games began immediately. MVP was dismissive of his opponent, texting on his phone instead of making eye contact with his foe. In response, Kiely stuck out a thumbs up in front of Page’s face blocking his mug from the cameras. Page refused to bite and Kiely eventually stepped completely in front of the dynamic striker.
This is where things got tense. Page gave Kiely a few pats and squeezes on the shoulder. Kiely peeled Page’s hand off and turned into him, giving Page a slight shove to the arm. Page retaliated with a big shove that forced Bellator officials and security to separate the two men.
Page vs. Kiely serves as the co-main event of Bellator Dublin on Sept. 27. The event is headlined by James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor and will co-broadcast with Bellator 227: Henderson vs. Jury.