Michael Page appears to be in a much better place with Bellator MMA than he was heading into his most recent appearance, but he still has his eye on a future spot on the UFC roster.
Page is on the verge of a welterweight title shot after earning his fifth straight win earlier this month, a first-round technical knockout victory over Derek Anderson at Bellator 258 . “Venom” hopes to return for a rematch with Douglas Lima if he defeats Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 in June.
Michael Page: “I enjoy Bellator, but I definitely feel like I need to get to UFC at some point.”
He’d like to make it to UFC
While all is well between Page, the promoter and Scott Coker , “MVP” in the UFC at some point seems like something he will actively pursue once his Bellator contract expires, as he told former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping .
“I enjoy Bellator. I enjoy where I am and I enjoy my success so far, but I definitely feel like I need to get to UFC at some point and test myself there as well. There are some great matches to be made there, so I definitely think in the future, I don’t know when, obviously I’m contracted to be in Bellator, and I have some goals to accomplish there as well. I feel like I’m close to doing that.
“But until then, I definitely still see myself going to UFC.”
Page, 34, won 19 of his 20 professional fights, 15 of which took place inside the Bellator cage. There has been a lot of history between Page and his current promoter, but stepping foot inside the UFC octagon is something he’s been thinking about since he broke into the sport.
“If I’m honest, when I started, the only reason I got into MMA was to go to UFC. That’s the biggest thing and obviously it’s still one of the biggest promoters.”
“There are a lot of shows popping up. But in general, especially when I started, anyone who was getting into MMA, their goal was to get to the UFC. Most people are still the same.”
Despite his propensity for viral knockouts, Michael Venom Page has often faced criticism for fighting perceived lower level opponents.
With a record of 19-1, Page’s only loss came against champion Douglas Lima. Page has often spoken of his desire for another shot at the Brazilian and believes he was dominating the fight until the knockout.
It will be interesting to see if the rematch comes to fruition. If it doesn’t, there will be no shortage of challengers if the Brit decides to head to the octagon.
One hypothetical matchup that has kept the forums buzzing for years is Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson #4. Both men have decorated kickboxing backgrounds that could well lead to a masterclass in MMA striking.
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