Michael Page (fighter)

Michael Page
Born Michael Jerome Reece-Page[1]
7 April 1987
Queen's Park, London, England[2]
Other names Venom, MVP
Residence Ewell, England[3]
Nationality English
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Division Welterweight (170 lb)
Middleweight (185 lb)
Reach 77 in (196 cm)
Style American kickboxing, Sport Karate, Lau Gar Kung Fu
Stance Orthodox
Fighting out of London, England
Team London Shootfighters
Trainer Alexis Demetriades
Paul Ivens
Marios Demetriades
Andy Zajac
Rank      4th dan black belt in Kickboxing under Curtis Page
Years active 2012–present
Kickboxing record
Total 1
Wins 1
By knockout 1
Losses 0
Mixed martial arts record
Total 7
Wins 7
By knockout 4
By submission 2
By decision 1
Losses 0
Other information
Website michaelvenompage.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: 30 April 2015

Michael "Venom" Page (Born 7 April 1987) is an English kickboxer, karateka and mixed martial artist, fighting in the welterweight division.[4] He is recognised in the MMA community for his unorthodox fighting style, which he has been using since he was competing in semi-contact kickboxing matches.

Kickboxing

His father is Curtis Page, a Lau Gar Kung Fu teacher. His brothers are also kickboxing world champions.

Michael began training in martial arts at the age of 3 in Lau Gar kung fu,[5] and competed at his first Karate tournament at the age of 5. Because almost everyone in his family, including his dad Curtis Page, were involved in martial arts he felt he should follow suit.[6]

Page has won ten world championships in kickboxing[7] – his first was at a tournament in Orlando, Florida when he was only 12 years old[8] – as well as being, in his own words, crowned British champion a "silly amount of times."[9] By the age of 13, Page started entering adult competitions.[10] One notable world title win was at the W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 (Coimbra) where, at the 89 kg semi-contact division, he won the gold medal after defeating Ireland's Dave Heffernan.[11][12] He also competed at the W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup 2008 (Kufstein), winning gold in the 84 kg semi-contact division over Krisztián Jároszkievicz.[13][14] Page returned the following year to win gold at the W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup 2009 (Walchsee), placing first in both the 84 kg light-contact and semi-contact divisions, defeating Bojan Miskovic and Zvonimir Gribl respectively.[15][16] Page then entered the WKA World Championships 2009 (Huelva), defeating Ben Stewart to claim gold in the organization's first semi-contact prize competition and bronze in the -90 kg light-contact division, upon being bested by Tarek Haydar.[17][18][19] In the same month he participated in the W.A.K.O. World Championships 2009 (Lignano Sabbiadoro) and finished second in the 84 kg semi-contact division, after being defeated by Krisztián Jároszkievicz.[20] On 4 September 2010, he competed at the World Combat Games 2010 in the 89 kg semi-contact division, where he won silver, just losing out on gold to the division winner Krisztián Jároszkievicz.[21][22][23]

He coaches and trains others in kickboxing when he isn't competing, primarily as an instructor at the Great Britain Martial Arts Academies in Leatherhead and Cobham.[24][25][26]

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Page began training with the London Shootfighters in September 2011,[27][28] a camp which boasts recognizable names such as James Thompson, Mostapha Al Turk, Marius Zaromskis, Karlos Vemola, Zelg Galesic, John Hathaway and Lee Murray.[29]

UCMMA

Page made his MMA debut at UCMMA 26 against Ben Dishman, which he won via technical knockout from a tornado kick.[30] This fight had the whole MMA community talking about Page's striking skills, going as far as calling him 'The UK's Anderson Silva'.[31][32][33]

Page next faced Miguel Bernard at UCMMA 27 in a 175 lbs catchweight bout, winning once again in impressive fashion. After both men spent over a minute using their unorthodox striking styles, Page slipped and fell onto his back. Bernard followed him to the ground, prompting Page to go for a triangle choke. After managing to pull his head out, Bernard found himself in an armbar, forcing him to tap out in the first round.[34]

Page then went back to his roots as a kickboxer when he fought in a UK-1 bout at UCMMA 29. Page was supposed to challenge UCMMA UK-1 welterweight champion Peter Irving for the belt.[35] However, Irving had to pull out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Jefferson George after another three opponents dropped out after also being injured.[36] Page won the fight after knocking out George from a two punch combination in the second round.

Super Fight League

On 23 June 2012, Super Fight League announced that they had signed Michael Page to an exclusive 4-fight contract, along with Jeff Monson, Satoshi Ishii, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.[37][38][39]

Page made his debut for the Super Fight League on 2 November 2012 at SFL 7 against Haitham El-Sayed, winning by doctor stoppage due to cuts.[40]

Page returned to Super Fight League on 12 April 2013 to face Ramdan Mohamed as the main event at SFL 15 in India and won via submission.[41]

Bellator MMA

After winning his UK-1 fight against Jefferson George, Page announced post-fight that he signed a 5-fight contract with Bellator MMA, and that he will fight for both Bellator and the Super Fight League under their respective contracts.[42][43][44]

Page was expected to make his debut for the promotion at Bellator 82,[45] however, he pulled out of the bout citing surgery for an old jaw injury.[46][47]

Page eventually made his debut on 21 March 2013 at Bellator 93.[48] He faced Ryan Sanders and won the fight via knockout at just ten seconds into the first round.[49]

Page was scheduled to fight at Bellator 102 but had to withdraw due to a rib cartilage injury, an ankle injury, and a knee injury.[50][51][52][53] A later appearance slated for Bellator 109 was also cancelled because of those same injuries.[54]

Page defeated Ricky Rainey via knockout in the first round at Bellator 120 on 17 May 2014.[55]

Page next faced Nah-Shon Burrell at Bellator 128 on 10 October 2014. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[56]

On 19 December 2014, Michael Page confirmed that he was no longer signed with Super Fight League and instead signed an exclusive two year, 5-fight contract with Bellator MMA.[57][58]

Page was expected to face Curtis Millender at Bellator 134 on 27 February 2015.[59] However, Page pulled out of the fight due to a cut over his left eye which was sustained during a guard passing drill and was replaced by Brennan Ward.[60][61][62]

Page is expected to face Rudy Bears at Bellator 140 on 17 July 2015.[63]

Trivia

Page's favorite fight was a "point fighting bout - Simon Lewis vs Matthew Winsper."

His father is his biggest influence towards his combat sports career.

He attended Quintin Kynaston School in St John's Wood alongside friend and Olympian judoka, Ashley McKenzie.[64][65]

Page received the moniker 'Venom' from his friend and fellow kickboxer, Marvin Francis.[66]

He has fought Glory fighter Raymond Daniels in numerous Karate point fighting tournaments.[67]

He is currently sponsored by Grips Athletics, Caged Steel, and Multipower Sportsfood.[68][69][70]

Page is also an avid salsa dancer.[71]

Five Deadly Venoms, Drunken Master, Twin Warriors, and The Raid 2 are his favorite martial arts movies.[72][73]

He was filmed for a promo advertising the release of Kingsman: The Secret Service.[74]

His favorite martial artist is Jackie Chan.[75]

Anderson Silva, when asked about Page, declared "He good. No seriously, he's really good."[76]

Page initially considered training at American Top Team during his transition into MMA and even entertained the possibility of cutting down to 155 lbs to fight at lightweight.[77][78]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7–0 Nah-Shon Burrell Decision (unanimous) Bellator 128 10 October 2014 3 5:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6–0 Ricky Rainey TKO (punch) Bellator 120 17 May 2014 1 4:29 Southaven, Mississippi, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5–0 Ramdan Mohamed Submission (rear naked choke) Super Fight League 15 12 April 2013 1 3:48 Mumbai, India Middleweight bout
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4–0 Ryan Sanders KO (punch) Bellator 93 21 March 2013 1 0:10 Lewiston, Maine, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3–0 Haitham El-Sayed TKO (doctor stoppage) Super Fight League 7 2 November 2012 1 2:15 Mumbai, India
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2–0 Miguel Bernard Submission (armbar) UCMMA 27 7 April 2012 1 1:43 London, England, United Kingdom Catchweight bout
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1–0 Ben Dishman TKO (tornado kick) UCMMA 26: The Real Deal 4 February 2012 1 1:05 London, England, United Kingdom

Kickboxing record

1 wins (1 KO), 0 loss, 0 draws
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record
2012-08-18 Win England Jefferson George UCMMA 29 London, England, United Kingdom KO (punch) 2 2:04 1-0
Kickboxing bout (K-1 rules).[79]

Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

References

  1. ↑ "WKA World Championships 2009" (PDF). wkaassociation.com. 2 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "Michael "MVP" Page KOs Jefferson George at UCMMA 29". youtube.com. 23 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "SERIES I - Michael Page v's Robbie Hughes". youtube.com. 17 November 2009.
  4. ↑ "Michael Page Sherdog Record". sherdog.com.
  5. ↑ "MMA's Greatest Personalities". bleacherreport.com. 30 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "Michael Page and Combat 32". martialedge.com. 20 July 2012.
  7. ↑ "Competitive Kickboxing in Croydon". croydonmartialart.com. 20 July 2012.
  8. ↑ "Michael Page: "Not many fighters have training partners that can mimic my style"". mmaopinion.co.uk. 8 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Martial arts expert returns to Cobham centre to train young people". dorkingandleatherheadadvertiser.co.uk. 16 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Exclusive: Michael Page - The New MMA Superstar On His Career So Far". sportsvibe.co.uk. 25 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "2007 WC - Coimbra (Portugal).zip". wakoweb.com. 2 December 2007.
  12. ↑ "Official WAKO results (Zip File - Click on Pools SC.pdf)". wakoweb.com. 2 December 2007.
  13. ↑ "Austrian Classic 08 Flyer" (PDF). wakoweb.com. 21 November 2007.
  14. ↑ "Austrian Classics 2008 Results" (PDF). austrian-classics.at. 2 April 2008.
  15. ↑ "AUSTRIAN CLASSICS 2009". wakoweb.com. 27 March 2008.
  16. ↑ "Austrian Classics 2009 Results" (PDF). austrian-classics.at. 3 April 2009.
  17. ↑ "WKA World Championships 2009" (PDF). wkaassociation.com. 2 November 2009.
  18. ↑ "WKA Worldchampionship 2009". facebook.com. 15 November 2009.
  19. ↑ "WKA Spain 2009 Results". martialartsunltd.co.uk. 2 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "2009 WC - Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy).zip". wakoweb.com. 29 November 2009.
  21. ↑ "2010 SportAccord World Combat Games - Beijing (China) - 1st edition.zip". wakoweb.com. 6 September 2010.
  22. ↑ "Zhenyu Li's shots of Combat Games kickboxing semi-contact Finals". digitaljournal.com. 7 September 2010.
  23. ↑ "Medal Table 2010". competitioninformation.beijing2010.org. 13 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Fighting spirit helps Predators take title". getsurrey.co.uk. 22 August 2007.
  25. ↑ "Instructors - Croydon Martial Arts". croydonmartialart.com. 8 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "Page ready for Bellator return". dorkingandleatherheadadvertiser.co.uk. 9 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Michael Page: Flashy style carries backlash". espn.go.com. 9 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Fearless – Michael ‘Venom’ Page mini documentary". whoatv.com. 15 February 2015.
  29. ↑ "The "UK’s Anderson Silva," Michael Page, Signs multi fight contract with Bellator". universalcombatnews.com. 3 September 2012.
  30. ↑ "MMA: Michael Page Destroys Opponent While Doing His Best Anderson Silva". bleacherreport.com. 10 February 2012.
  31. ↑ "Michael Page Draws Comparison to Anderson Silva in UCMMA Debut". lowkick.blitzcorner.com. 11 February 2012.
  32. ↑ "MICHAEL PAGE, O "ANDERSON SILVA" INGLÊS, VOLTA A VENCER NO MMA". mmamagazine.com.br. 17 July 2012.
  33. ↑ "Michael "Venom" Page – Too Soon To Board The Hype Train?". mmasourceuk.com. 20 July 2012.
  34. ↑ "UCMMA 27 results". thefightlounge.co.uk. 18 July 2012.
  35. ↑ "A Chat With The One And Only…..MVP!!!". mmasourceuk.com. 20 July 2012.
  36. ↑ "Michael page – everyone running scared!". ucmma.tv. 14 August 2012.
  37. ↑ "Super Fight League signs, Ishii, Monson and Sokoudjou to exclusive deals". fullmount.co.uk. 18 July 2012.
  38. ↑ "Super Fight League add four more fighters to their growing roster". thefightlounge.co.uk. 18 July 2012.
  39. ↑ "INDIA’S SUPER FIGHT LEAGUE SIGNS JEFF MONSON, SATOSHI ISHII, SOKOUDJOU, MICHAEL PAGE". sherdog.com. 26 June 2012.
  40. ↑ "Michael Page registers dominating win in SFL 7". timesofindia.com. 2 November 2012.
  41. ↑ "Page sizzles on night of quick finishes". timesofindia.com. 14 April 2013.
  42. ↑ "The Fight Lounge caught up with MVP". ucmma.tv. 20 August 2012.
  43. ↑ "Video: New Bellator Prospect Michael Page in His Most Recent Match Against Jefferson George at UCMMA 29". bloodyelbow.com. 23 August 2012.
  44. ↑ "Bellator FC sign the UK's "Anderson Silva" Michael Page to Multi-Fight Deal". addictedmma.com. 23 August 2012.
  45. ↑ "WELTERWEIGHT FINALISTS LYMAN GOOD, ANDREY KORESHKOV JOIN BELLATOR 82 BILL IN MICHIGAN". sherdog.com. 3 November 2012.
  46. ↑ "BELLATOR 82 UPDATE: SHAWN BUNCH RECEIVES OPPONENT, MICHAEL PAGE OFF NOV. 30 BILL". sherdog.com. 8 November 2012.
  47. ↑ "Let Me Entertain You! Unorthodox Page wants to be the MVP of MMA". voice-online.co.uk. 9 December 2012.
  48. ↑ "Bellator 93 heads to Maine with welterweight-tourney final". mmajunkie.com. 1 February 2013.
  49. ↑ "BELLATOR 93 RESULTS: LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY & UPDATES". sherdog.com. 21 March 2013.
  50. ↑ "MICHAEL PAGE INJURED, BELLATOR 102 BOUT WITH KENNY ENTO REMOVED FROM FRIDAY’S CARD". sherdog.com. 30 September 2013.
  51. ↑ "Bellator’s Michael Page: Ready to Unleash Venom on Pay-Per-View". themmacorner.com. 5 May 2014.
  52. ↑ "Michael Page on injuries, being on pay-per-view, and Ricky Rainey". themmareport.com. 16 May 2014.
  53. ↑ "The Beaten Path: The Performance Art of Michael Page". bleacherreport.com. 8 October 2014.
  54. ↑ "Michael Page out of Bellator 109 with an injury". themmareport.com. 12 November 2013.
  55. ↑ "BELLATOR 120 RESULTS: PLAY-BY-PLAY & UPDATES". sherdog.com. 17 May 2014.
  56. ↑ "BELLATOR 128 RESULTS: PLAY-BY-PLAY & UPDATES". sherdog.com. 10 October 2014.
  57. ↑ "Q9: Michael 'Venom' Page Interview with Thiago Parijiani". youtube.com. 19 December 2014.
  58. ↑ "Интервью менеджера Майкла Пейджа для нашей группы". vk.com. 30 January 2015.
  59. ↑ "Michael Page returns to Bellator cage against Curtis Millender on Feb. 27". mmafighting.com. 1 December 2014.
  60. ↑ "Michael Page out of Bellator 134, Brennan Ward fills in to face Curtis Millender". mmafighting.com. 23 February 2015.
  61. ↑ "MICHAEL PAGE INJURED; BRENNAN WARD REPLACES ‘MVP’ AT FRIDAY’S BELLATOR 134". sherdog.com. 23 February 2015.
  62. ↑ "Bellator 134: Michael 'Venom' Page "very disappointed" to be out of Friday's fight". mirror.co.uk. 27 February 2015.
  63. ↑ "Michael Page vs. Rudy Bears set for Bellator 140". mmajunkie.com. 24 April 2015.
  64. ↑ "Michael Page". superfightleague.com. 12 April 2013.
  65. ↑ "Fearless – Michael ‘Venom’ Page mini documentary". whoatv.com. 15 February 2015.
  66. ↑ "Video - Bellator MMA: 5 Rounds with Michael "Venom" Page". fightnetwork.com. 9 October 2014.
  67. ↑ "En route vers Bellator 120: Raymond Daniels vs Michael Page en vidéo". lavoixdesguerriers.com. 12 May 2014.
  68. ↑ "Michael "Venom" Page".
  69. ↑ "UK And Irish MMA Awards: October 2014 - Results". yourmma.tv. 14 November 2014.
  70. ↑ "Getting to know Michael".
  71. ↑ "How video games led Bellator 128's Michael Page to entertainment-first style". mmajunkie.com. 9 October 2014.
  72. ↑ "Inverview with M.V.P.". vk.com. 21 October 2014.
  73. ↑ "Интервью Майкла Пейджа для нашего сообщества". vk.com. 21 October 2014.
  74. ↑ "Kingsman: The Secret Service Challenges Bellator MMA's Michael "Venom" Page". youtube.com. 6 February 2014.
  75. ↑ "Q7: Michael 'Venom' Page Interview with Thiago Parijiani". youtube.com. 19 December 2014.
  76. ↑ "Highlights from Anderson Silva’s first -- and last -- media appearance before return". mmafighting.com. 15 October 2014.
  77. ↑ "Inside Fights Interview: Michael Page". insidepulse.com. 10 June 2013.
  78. ↑ "Michael 'Venom' Page: 'In the next 12 months, I'm going to have a title shot'". youtube.com. 17 March 2014.
  79. ↑ "UCMMA 29 Results". ucmma.tv. 18 August 2012.

External links