You Don’t Often See This in MMA… Michael “Venom” Page Was So Good Against David Rickels That He Actually Made His Opponent Quit…
Now, this is something you don’t see every day in MMA. Michael ‘Venom’ Page was fighting David ‘The Caveman’ Rickels at Bellator 200 this weekend. Page was just so good that he actually forced his opponent to turn to the referee and quit.
It’s really not common for this to happen in MMA. Boxing yes – I’m looking at you Vasily Lomachenko – but not in the world of mixed martial arts, where fighters are desperate to prove they’re the toughest of the tough, even if they’re getting battered.
Page has phenomenal pedigree though, and a highlight reel to boot. The unbeaten Londoner has a record of 13-0 and is most famous for THAT knockout where he caved in ‘Cyborg’ Santos’s skull. We’ve given you that video too. It’s a fair bet that if the UFC could have any fighter off of the Bellator roster, he’d be one of the top three they’d want.
Too Good
Page was making his return to the cage after almost 18 months out of action, which is really just a travesty. The welterweight fighter defeated Rickels in the second round of their fight after two rounds of highlight-reel kicks and strikes that just proved too much for his American opponent to handle.
Rickels did receive a cut to the face, but his spirit was crushed by Page’s unbelievable skill set. He signaled to the referee that he was finished and Page won by verbal submission. It’s rare that this happens in MMA because fighters often are afraid of losing face.
In the UFC recently, Raquel Pennington’s corner was heavily criticised after forcing her back out to fight Amanda Nunes, despite getting battered and wanting to quit. Compare this to boxing where Vasily Lomachenko keeps making his opponents quit because they accept he’s just too good. Live to fight another day guys.
Real Deal
Page is the real deal and a marketing dream. After beating Rickels, he put on an ‘infinity glove’ from the Avenger’s movie. That’s just awesome and inspired. He really needs to fight a better quality opponent though. Proposed bouts with former UFC fighter Paul Daley have fallen through before, but this time around it might actually happen.
His name is Michael ‘Venom’ Page for crying out loud. There are only two fighters I can think of where you say their nickname as their full name without thinking about it. The other is Steven ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. He’s the real deal. In an extraordinary post-fight statement, Rickels paid his respects and kudos to the American for his words:
“MVPs the real deal. Hat’s off to him and his camp. I’m an entertainer baby. I put it all on the line baby… I went after his ass. I got cut bad. He outclassed me, son. That’s just the truth of it.”
Momentum
The Londoner only has two fights left on his Bellator contract. Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait another 18 months for him to return again. You can bet that the UFC will be looking at his situation with interest. They would love that injection of stardust into their welterweight division.
A fight with Daley has to happen. A true grudge clash between two British fighters. Daley would definitely be a higher quality opponent than anyone Page has fought before. If he successfully annihilates him, then a whole world of opportunity could open up for ‘Venom’.
