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Michael “Venom” Page’s opponents know the stomach-churning feeling all too well: of having a brash foe before them, doing exactly what he promised. In many cases, it involves a knockout. In his last fight, however, it was Page who had to deal with defeat by an outspoken rival, as he was beaten by Ian Machado Garry. It was not Page’s first loss, nor his worst, but given Machado Garry is as divisive as “MVP” once was, it could have been a painful one.
Yet Page has a healthier relationship with defeat than one would expect. And it’s a relationship that dates back further than fans may think, too. There was the brutal knockout by Diego Lima in 2019, yes, but that did not humble the Londoner, because – despite popular opinion at the time – he didn’t need humbling.
“Loss is part of the game, you can’t have one without the other,” Page tells The Independent. “Sometimes when people come straight into MMA and do really well, they may struggle to handle [defeat], whereas I’ve come from a sport in which the first eight or nine years was me not doing well.” It is a self-deprecating take on Page’s stellar kickboxing career, which saw him enter adult competitions by age 13 and ultimately win 10 world titles.
“My style comes across like I’m naturally talented, but I’ve got multiple siblings who all did exceptionally well [at sport], and I was the one who never used to come back with any medals – and had to do it again the following weekend. I stuck at it because I enjoyed the environment, but it did mean I learned something.
“And for me, the other person doesn’t actually matter; I always take the focus back to me: my performance, what I can control, what I could’ve done better. That goes whether I’ve won or lost. And even if I didn’t lose a fight, there’s gonna be challenges in life that I’m gonna lose at every single day.”
Right now, though, Page is winning. As we speak over Zoom, he has been married for two days, with a wedding ceremony immediately following his engagement. Were there more nerves in proposing than fighting? “Not really, I’d say I’m fortunate that I’ve found someone who is 100 per cent perfect for me,” says the 37-year-old. “We just mirror each other so well, so getting engaged and married didn’t feel like stress; it just felt like, ‘This is already done, we just need to tick the box.’ It’s nice to have that feeling of peace.”
After his loss to Machado Garry in June, Page pursued a different sort of peace. Although he had outstruck the young Irishman, who is best known for his own striking skills, Page was beaten as Machado Garry wisely elected to grapple – and did so well enough to win. So, MVP opted to compete in a jiu-jitsu match with UFC alumnus Carlos Condit in November. “There were certain things I was unhappy with – with regards to my jiu-jitsu – in that fight [with Garry], which I reckon would have changed the whole result,” Page admits.
Yet in his next fight, he may not need his jiu-jitsu. On Saturday, Page faces Shara “Bullet” Magomedov in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night in Saudi Arabia. Although Magomedov is Dagestani, his strength is not the wrestling that made the Russian region famous; like Page, the 30-year-old is a flashy striker, most recently evidenced by his double-spinning-back-fist KO of Armen Petrosyan in October – an “exceptional finish”, Page acknowledges.
That result kept Magomedov unbeaten, and he is the slight favourite heading into Riyadh. That is partly due to the fight’s middleweight billing, as MVP ventures out of the welterweight division, but Page is unfazed regardless. “Honestly speaking, I believe he’s tailor made for me to get that [knockout] shot early,” he says. “By early, I just mean before the time is up. But he’s equally dangerous, to where if I make those mistakes, that could happen to me. You have to consider both sides. I just really believe in what I can do, and that my style fits perfectly against him.”
Page also clarifies his stance on the weight, having previously said this fight would be a one-off at 185lb. “I moved because of the fight, not the division,” he says. “I’m sure there’ll be a few fights I can make at middleweight, but it has nothing to do with trying to rank myself – it’s just if I can make another exceptional fight for the fans. It’s a difficult decision, wanting to go back down, because seriously: this weight-cut is so easy! That lack of stress is very enticing to stay here, but I’m fixated on getting business done [at 170lb].”
Page could have pushed for a fight at UFC London in March, against a different opponent (Magomedov has little-to-no vision in one eye, leading to reports that he cannot be licensed to fight in certain countries), but explains: “I would’ve never prioritised fighting on a UK card over a fight like this, because there will be time to fight in the UK. This fight had to happen this way, and I just wanted it as quickly as possible to get the year started with a bang, so I can be as frequent this year as possible.”
So, it will be a Russian in Riyadh for MVP, as he dips his toes into the middleweight waters. Still, Page makes it clear: “My goal is the welterweight belt.”
