Undefeated British MMA fighter, Michael “Venom” Page has developed a reputation of being one of the most exciting and entertaining MMA fighters in the sport today.
His unorthodox fighting not style coupled with his explosive knockout power and slick ground game has earned him a legion of fans who eagerly await his every fight.
He has arguably the best walkout in MMA and his taunting of his opponents, his movements in the cage and the unique way in which he fights has caught the eye of everyone in the MMA world. He is a shining light in the sport and he will only get brighter from here.
Michael is a huge Manchester Unired fan and I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Michael ahead of his upcoming fight with Evangelista Santos at Bellator 158 which takes place on July 16th at the O2 Arena in London.
How did your love of United start? What are your earliest memories of supporting the club?
When I was 6 years old, I used to play a lot of sports including foortball but I did not used to watch it. My best friend James Steele asked me who I support and when I told him I did not have a team, he told to say Man United if asked again by anyone. Years later when I started to watch football, I continued to follow as a Man United supporter and I have been a true fan ever since.
Who are you favourite players to have played for the club? Something about you strikes me as a Cantona fan..
I was a massive Cantona fan, we all bough the shirt after that penalty and tried to be just like him at our school football pitch. One of favourite players is Scholes and Dwight Yorke with him being from Trinidad & Tobago.
What’s your fondest United memory?
It has to be when we did the treble or beat Chelski in the final of the Champions League when John ‘Wet Floor’ Terry slipped taking a penalty.
We have had, by our standards, a rough few seasons. Last seasons in particular seemed to be one where we lost our identity on the pitch which was attributed a lot to LvG’s style of play. Is this something you agree with?
I think that any manager can be a good manager but his principles would have to be matched to the right team, specially when being a new manager to an established team. I agree, and feel that LvGs style doesn’t match the Man United style of play and didn’t fit well with the staff and players.
Jose Mourinho has now been confirmed as our new manager. Are you excited? What do you think he can bring to the club that has been missing recently?
I am extremely excited and I think he should have been appointed our manager after Ferguson. Similar to combat sports, when fighting your opponent and you see established coaches behind that fighter, it adds to the mental aspect of the challenge you are about to face. I feel that previous managers did not have that credibility following Ferguson and so we lost our fear factor that we had over other teams.
If you could sign 5 players who would they be and why?
One of them is already signed – Ibrahimovic. One is potentially on his way – Paul Pogba. I would sign Thomas Muller, Rafael Meran and based on his performance at the Euros, Moussa Sissoko.
Where do you think we will finish this season?
If we confirm the top high end players that we need, then I think that we are back in title contention.
If you could choose one would you rather win the world title in front of your home crowd or score the winner in front of the Stretford end to secure the league title?
Win the world title in front of your home crowd as I am in MMA but scoring the winner in front of the Stretford end to secure the league title would be amazing too!! A dream even!!
I just want to finish up by wishing you all the best for your upcoming fight and thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Have you for anything you’d like to say to your fans?
To my fans… I would like to saying thank you for all of your support and well wishes. Make sure you get down to the O2 on July 16th to cheer me on as I am super pumped for the night and will definitely be putting on a show. Thank you to London Shootfighters, the Hands Down Management Team and all of my sponsors – Bad Boy, MyProtein & Fighter Training.
Bellator 158 is live and free on Channel 5 Saturday July 16th at 10pm. This is one event you do not want to miss.
Thank you to Michael and his team at HandsDown Management for their time and help with getting this interview arranged.
