Since making his Bellator debut in 2013, Michael Page has consistently thrilled fight fans. While the level of opposition he frequently faced can raise some eyebrows, there’s no denying the pure entertainment value that “Page has”Venom” offers.
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So when news broke that “MVP” was no longer under contract with Bellator, speculation began about where the English kickboxer would land next. With a new home comes new potential opponents. Let’s take a look at five of the best options for Michael Page in and outside Bellator.
5 perfect dream fights for Michael Page
Stephen Thompson
This one seems pretty obvious. Much like “MVP,” Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson turned a karate black belt into a successful mixed martial arts career complete with welterweight title challenges.
Beyond the stylistic similarities between the two, this feels like an appropriate fight considering their veteran status. Although he’s currently a top 10 welterweight in the UFC, recent losses to Belal Muhammed and Gilbert Burns showed that Thompson’s vulnerability against high-level grapplers is a huge roadblock to climbing up the ladder again. At this stage of his career, The 40-year-old Wonderboy is better suited for stand-up battles that will allow him to do what he does best.
Michel Pereira
Michel Peirera first popped up on our radar in a viral clip from his Road FC bout against Kim Dae-Sung. The Brazilian jump kicked, spin kicked, flipped off of the cage, and found himself in the Octagon just a few months later when replicated his acrobatic success against Danny Roberts.
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After an embarrassing loss to Tristan Connely and a disqualification versus Diego Sanchez, Periera has found his footing by slowing the tempo and relying much more on the basics as opposed to the flashy risk aversion he’s associated with. Although he’s played things more conservatively as of late, it’s hard to envision him not reverting to his old ways against Michael Page.
Kevin Holland
With six post-fight bonuses including one for Fight of the Night, Kevin Holland is no stranger to putting on a show for the crowd. A bout with “Venom” would lean right into that.
Beyond what could potentially happen in the cage, their shared charisma and flair for the dramatic make this the easiest fight on this list to promote. As their respective pre-fight build-ups against Derek Brunson and Paul Daley showed, they’re more than capable of talking enough trash to generate buzz. This seems like a slam dunk for a fight night main event outside of the Apex Center.
Raymond Daniels
Despite being a Bellator welterweight alongside “MVP” for two years, Raymond Daniels never crossed his path in the cage. However, they’ve exchanged blows several times as kickboxers with Daniels sweeping Page in their trilogy.
Perhaps that’s why Scott Coker didn’t bombard them with bout agreements to face one another in MMA. But when looking at their Bellator highlight reels, wandering thoughts of an old-school kung fu flick being played out in real life can be forgiven.
Since Daniels is now in an exclusive contract with Karate Combat, it makes sense to bring MVP on board for that at the very least. Although extended grappling exchanges between the two would’ve been highly unlikely in MMA, we said the same thing about MVP’s uninspiring win over Daley. Let’s just eliminate the possibility altogether.
Anthony Pettis
We’re far removed from the days when Anthony “Showtime” Pettis was pulling off jaw-dropping aerial moves en route to finishing some of the best in the world and collecting championship belts. However, it’s been a few months since the former UFC and WEC lightweight king picked up a win in the boxing ring against a legend.
Of course, defeating Roy Jones Jr. today doesn’t carry the same weight as it would have a couple of decades ago. But it really doesn’t matter. That bout at Gamebred Boxing 4 wasn’t meant to find the next world-class prospect. Considering Page has flirted with the sweet science, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to match them up. Sure, we could put them together in PFL instead, but that’s not as fun.
