Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987) is a British

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. He is recognised in the MMA community for his unorthodox fighting style, which originated from freestyle kickboxing (points fighting) and sport karate. As of May 17, 2022, he is #2 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings.

Early life

Page was born in

St Mary's Hospital, London St Mary's Hospital is an NHS hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, wh ...

to Curtis Page Sr. and Pauline Reece, who were both Lau Gar

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

practitioners. His father, a

British Telecom BT Group plc (trade name, trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is th ...

employee, hailed from

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

while his mother, a nurse, was from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Page is a maternal nephew of Lau Gar Master Stan Brown, who was also the instructor of his father. He has nine siblings, three of whom are adopted. Page attended Quintin Kynaston School in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, alongside Olympian judoka

Ashley McKenzie Ashley McKenzie (born 17 July 1989) is an English judoka competing at the men's 60 kg division. He was a member of the Great Britain Olympic Judo Team at London 2012 but was defeated in the second round by Hiroaki Hiraoka of Japan. He als ...

. He grew up in NW8 near

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes ...

and Lisson Green before moving to W10 near Queen's Park in 2003. Since almost everyone in his family was involved in martial arts, he felt it was natural to follow suit.fightersonlymag.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017.

Kickboxing career

His father, Curtis Page Sr. was his instructor. Of his nine siblings, his sister Sefena and brothers Curtis Jr., Jamie, and Kalon are also kickboxing champions. Page began training in Lau Gar at the age of 3 and competed at his first

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

tournament at the age of 5. By the age of 8, he began to devote himself to competition and entered his first international tournament in Germany. Page won 10 world championships in kickboxing – his first was at the US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships 1998 in Orlando, Florida when he was 12 years old – and was crowned British champion over 25 times.michaelvenompage.com, Retrieved 20 July 2016. By the age of 13, Page started entering adult competitions. To prepare, he would train five hours a day for five days a week. During tournament days he would often fight up to 14 times due to competing in three weight classes, and at one point fought 22 times in a day across five weight classes. Another world title win was at the W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 (Coimbra) where, at the −89 kg semi-contact division, he won gold after defeating Dave Heffernan. 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. Page participated at the W.A.K.O. Irish Open 2008 (Dublin), earning silver in the −84 kg semi-contact division after falling short to Raymond Daniels. Page then won 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. Page returned to participate in the W.A.K.O. Irish Open 2009 (Dublin) but was defeated by Raymond Daniels, placing second in the −84 kg semi-contact division. Page – appointed as the WKA Head Coach – led a team to the WKA World Championships 2009 (Huelva), defeating

James Benjamin Stewart James Benjamin "Ben" Stewart (born March 19, 1978) is a Canadian 16-time World Karate and Kick Boxing Champion, author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. He has won nine W.K.A. super heavyweight titles, three W.A.K.O. titles, and four World ...

to claim gold in the organisation's first semi-contact prize competition and bronze in the −90 kg light-contact division, upon being bested by Tarek Haydar. He then 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. On 4 September 2010, he competed at the

World Combat Games 2010 The first World Combat Games were held in Beijing, China, from August 28 to September 4, 2010. 136 gold medals were vied for by 1,108 competitors from all five continents. There were twelve martial arts sports competitions: boxing, judo, ju-jits ...

(Beijing) in the −84 kg semi-contact division, where he earned silver, losing gold to Krisztián Jároszkievicz. Page fought Raymond Daniels at the W.A.K.O. Irish Open 2011 (Dublin), securing silver in the −84 kg semi-contact division. Page was scouted by the Great Britain

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

team to train and qualify for the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

but turned it down to pursue a professional combat sports career. When not competing Page trains others in kickboxing, primarily as an instructor at the Hands Down Martial Arts Academies throughout

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Dissatisfied with the lack of exposure as well as the politics involved in competing among various kickboxing associations, Page decided to cross over into

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

. He initially considered going to

American Top Team American Top Team (ATT) is one of the primary teams in mixed martial arts. The gym was founded by Dan Lambert, who brought in former members of Brazilian Top Team Marcus "Conan" Silveira, Marcelo Silveira and Ricardo Liborio, but there is no fo ...

during his transition into MMA since his older siblings live in Miami but chose to start his career with London Shootfighters in July 2011, training with the likes of

John Hathaway John Lawrence Hathaway (born 1 July 1987) is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Background and early career Formerly an open-side flanker for local rugby team Hove RFC, Hatha ...

, Cláudio da Silva,

Karlos Vemola Karel "Karlos" Vémola (born July 1, 1985) is a Czech-British professional mixed martial artist, former bodybuilder, amateur wrestling, wrestler and member of Sokol. A professional competitor since 2008, he became historically the first Ultimate ...

,kingdommma.co.uk, Retrieved 22 May 2016. Alex Reid,

Marcin Held Marcin Held (born January 18, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Absolute Championship Berkut, Professional Fighters League, a ...

Jim Wallhead Jim Wallhead (born 14 March 1984) is an English professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He has competed for BAMMA, Bellator, and M-1 Challenge and the UFC . Wallhead is a member of Team Rough House and Lei ...

, and

Marc Diakiese Marc Diakiese (born 16 March 1993) is a Congolese-born English professional mixed martial artist who competes as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has also competed for Caged Steel and BAMMA. Background Aged 17, Diakies ...

. Page also sparred with

Alexander Gustafsson Alexander Gustafsson (born 15 January 1987) is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist. Gustafsson currently competes in the light heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Gustafsson spent a major part of his MMA ...

James DeGale James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweig ...

Che Mills Ché Mills (born 29 October 1982) is an English mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also competed for the UFC, Cage Rage, BAMMA, and M-1 G ...

Chris Eubank, Jr. Christopher Livingstone Eubank Jr (born 18 September 1989) is a British professional boxer. He has held multiple championships in two weight classes, including the WBA interim middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2021; the IBO super-m ...

Frank Muñoz Frank Muñoz (born 14 August 1983) is a Spanish heavyweight kickboxer fighting in the SUPERKOMBAT Fighting Championship where he is the 2013 SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix Tournament Champion. He is also the former WAKO-Pro K-1 European champion ...

, Dereck Chisora,

Muhammed Lawal Oklahoma State Cowboys Central Oklahoma Bronchos Muhammed Lawal (born January 11, 1981), also known as "King Mo", is an American professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to Major League Wr ...

Andrew Tate Emory Andrew Tate III (born December 1, 1986) is an American-British social media personality, businessman and a former professional kickboxer. Following his kickboxing career, he began offering paid courses and memberships through his websit ...

Darren Stewart Darren Erdley Stewart (born 30 December 1990) is an English mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2013, he competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Cage Warriors. Background Stewart was b ...

Karl Amoussou Karl Amoussou (born November 21, 1985) is a French-German professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Cage Warriors, where he is the current Welterweight Champion. A professional competitor since ...

, Johnny Walker,

Filip Verlinden Filip Verlinden (born 26 December 1982) is a Belgian kickboxer who competes in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Verlinden was introduced to the sport at an early age and came to prominence in 2008 when he won the WKA European Super C ...

Harut Grigorian Harut Grigorian ( hy, Հարութ Գրիգորյան; born 24 March 1989) is an Armenian-born Belgian kickboxer and former Glory Welterweight Champion. He has also competed in the It's Showtime and K-1 promotions. He was ranked in the Combat ...

Gegard Mousasi Gegard Mousasi (born 1 August 1985), is a Dutch mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently competing in Bellator MMA, where he is the former two-time Bellator Middleweight Champion. As of December 13, 2022, he is #10 in the Bellator MMA ...

Neil Magny Aoutneil "Neil" Jacques Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Magny ...

, and

Artur Kyshenko Artur Kyshenko ( Ukrainian: Артур Кишенко, born November 14, 1986) is a Ukrainian middleweight kickboxer, fighting out of Kyshenko Gym. He is the 2015 Kunlun Fight 80 kg Tournament World Champion and K-1 World MAX 2008 Finalist. ...

. He entertained the possibility of fighting at

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

. Page spends up to seven hours training in the gym, and does not undergo

IV therapy Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutri ...

after cutting weight. He cross-trains

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

Gracie Barra Gracie Barra is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu association with over 800 schools on six continents. The organization was founded by Carlos Gracie, Jr. History Carlos Gracie Jr., who was born in 1956, grew up heavily influenced by his family, especiall ...

. Page is represented by Paradigm Sports Management.

UCMMA

Page made his MMA debut at

UCMMA Ultimate Challenge MMA (also referred to as UCMMA) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is shown live on London Live in the UK, Fight Now TV in the US and on Viewster in several other countries. History The collapse ...

26 against Ben Dishman on 4 February 2012 and won via technical knockout from a first round tornado kick. His original opponent Sam Boo withdrew a day before the fight. The fight went viral and comparisons were drawn between Page and

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 and ...

. He was paid £200 for the bout. On 7 April 2012, Page faced Miguel Bernard at UCMMA 27 in a 176 lb catchweight bout despite weighing in at 165 lb. Page won in the first round after forcing Bernard to tap out upon transitioning from a triangle choke into an armbar. Page briefly returned to kickboxing when he fought in a UK-1 bout on 18 August 2012 at UCMMA 29. Page was supposed to challenge UCMMA UK-1 welterweight champion Peter Irving for the belt.mmasourceuk.com, Retrieved 22 May 2016. However, Irving pulled out of the fight due to a neck injury and was replaced by Jefferson George after another three opponents dropped out within a month for undisclosed reasons. Page won after knocking out George from a two punch combination in the second round.

Super Fight League

On 24 June 2012,

Super Fight League Super Fight League is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in India. The organisation was formed in 2012 by actor Sanjay Dutt and British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, and is currently co-owned by British-Indian businessman Bill Dosanjh and ...

announced that they signed Michael Page to an exclusive 18-month, four-fight contract. Page made his promotional debut on 2 November 2012 at SFL 7 as the main event against Haitham El-Sayed, winning by technical knockout in round one via doctor stoppage due to cuts. Page returned to Super Fight League on 12 April 2013 to face Ramdan Mohamed at SFL 15 as the main event and won via rear-naked choke in the first round.

Bellator MMA

2013

After winning his UK-1 fight against Jefferson George, Page announced that he had signed a five-fight contract with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

and that he would fight for Bellator and

under their respective contracts. Page was expected to make his promotional debut at Bellator 82 but pulled out of the bout citing surgery for an old jaw injury. Another potential yet unannounced debut at

Bellator 90 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

against Sean Powers was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Page made his debut on 21 March 2013 at

Bellator 93 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He faced Ryan Sanders and won via knockout at 10 seconds into the first round. Page was scheduled to fight Kenny Ento at

Bellator 102 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight cha ...

but withdrew due to a rib cartilage injury, an ankle injury, and a knee injury. A later appearance slated for

Bellator 109 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

against Andrew Osborne was also cancelled because of lingering injuries.

2014

Page was slated to fight Fight Master: Bellator MMA contestant Marcus Aurelio at

Bellator 120 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

on 17 May 2014 but Aurelio withdrew due to injury.

Ricky Rainey Ricky Rainey (born June 29, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2011, Rainey has previously competed for Bellator and in the UFC's Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career After compi ...

was immediately sought as a replacement after his

Bellator 116 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

victory and was informed of his opponent a week later. Page won via technical knockout in the first round. Page next faced

Nah-Shon Burrell Nah-Shon Burrell (born February 5, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Burrell has competed for Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

Bellator 128 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

as the co-main event on 10 October 2014. He won via unanimous decision. On 19 December 2014, Michael Page confirmed that he was no longer contracted with Super Fight League and instead signed an exclusive two year, five-fight contract extension with Bellator.

2015

Page was expected to face

Curtis Millender Curtis Marquir Millender (born December 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellato ...

Bellator 134 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

. However, Page pulled out of the fight due to a cut over his left eye which was sustained during a guard passing drill and required six stitches. He was replaced by

Brennan Ward Brennan Ward (born June 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2008, Ward formerly competed for CES MMA and was the Bellator Season Nine Middleweight Tou ...

. Page faced

Rudy Bears Rudy Bears is a former American professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Bears has formerly competed for Bellator, Strikeforce, Titan Fighting Championships and M-1 Globa ...

Bellator 140 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company ...

on 17 July 2015. He won by knockout in the first round. Page fought Charlie Ontiveros at

Bellator 144 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on 23 October 2015 with less than three weeks' notice after four opponents – including his initial opponent

Marius Žaromskis Marius Žaromskis (born July 30, 1980) is a Lithuanian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, Zaromskis has formerly competed for Strikeforce, Cage Rage, Bell ...

and later

Cristiano Souza Cristiano Souza (born August 2, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes for the Bellator Fighting Championships in the Welterweight Division. He was a fighter on the first season of Fight Master: Bellator MMA Mixed mart ...

– pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons. Page won via verbal submission due to elbows in the first round after dislocating Ontiveros' jaw.

2016

He was expected to fight Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 151 as the co-main event but withdrew from the bout as he was already committed to officiate at the W.A.K.O. Irish Open 2016 (

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

) as coach of the Top Ten UK team. He was replaced by Gilbert Smith. Page defeated Jeremie Holloway at

Bellator 153 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickbox ...

on 22 April 2016, submitting him with an Estima lock in round one. Page's fight with Fernando Gonzalez was rescheduled for

Bellator 158 2016 in Bellator MMA was the eighth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promoter based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2016. Background 2016 is notable for the launch of sibling promotion Bellator Kickboxi ...

on 16 July 2016 but visa issues forced Gonzalez to withdraw. Page accepted a contract to fight

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the UFC, Bellator MMA, Cage Rage, Final Fight Championship, Strikeforce, Elit ...

after

Josh Koscheck Edinboro Fighting Scots Josh D. Koscheck (born November 30, 1977) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought at Welterweight for the UFC and Bellator MMA. Koscheck made his debut with the UFC on the first season of the realit ...

withdrew but Daley chose to fight

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

instead. Page fought

Evangelista Santos Evangelista Santos ( born December 12, 1977) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. A professional from 1997 until 2016, Santos competed for Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, International Vale Tudo Cha ...

and won by knocking out Santos with a flying knee in the second round. Santos underwent surgery afterwards due to a depressed frontal sinus fracture. The fight went viral partly due to the ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

''-inspired post-fight celebration. In July 2016, Bellator claimed that Page re-signed with the promotion and had four fights left on his contract. However, Page stated that he did not re-sign but had two fights left from existing contractual provisions. Page fought Fernando Gonzalez on 19 November 2016 at Bellator 165 as the co-main event. He won the fight via split decision.

2017

A proposed bout between Page and

was targeted for Bellator 179 but negotiations fell through after Daley chose to fight Rory MacDonald instead. Page was supposed to fight Derek Anderson but an old knee injury and neck injury forced him off the card. Daley attempted to brawl with Page after losing his fight. Another fight with Daley was proposed for September 2017 in London but was turned down by Daley, who instead opted to fight

Lorenz Larkin Lorenz Larkin (born September 3, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, Larkin formerly competed for Strikeforce and the Ulti ...

at Bellator 183. Page was expected to compete at Bellator 191 but a fight was never announced.

2018

Bellator attempted to match Page against Daley on 9 March 2018 but negotiations stalled when Daley refused to commit to the date. Page fought

David Rickels David Rickels (born January 5, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter who is currently competing in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional since 2010, he is a 23-fight veteran of the Bellat ...

on 25 May 2018 at Bellator 200 as the co-main event. He won the fight via verbal submission due to a punch in the second round that opened a cut above Rickels' left eye. He spent a portion of his training camp at Straight Blast Gym - Ireland in preparation for the fight. He paid tribute to his cousin Helena Ramsay, a victim of the

Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at t ...

, during the open workout and post-fight interview. On 30 July 2018, Page confirmed signing a new six-fight contract with Bellator, three for the tournament and three as part of the champion clause. The contract will let him box, subject to Bellator's approval.

2019

Page faced

in the quarter-final of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament on 16 February 2019 at Bellator 216. He won by unanimous decision, in an uneventful fight in which neither fighter was able to mount any significant offence. His father died prior to the fight on 26 December 2018. Page fought former two-time Bellator Welterweight World Champion

in the semi-final of the welterweight tournament on 11 May 2019 at Bellator 221. Despite having some initial success, Page lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Page faced Richard Kiely at Bellator 227 as the co-main event on 27 September 2019. He won the fight via knockout from a flying knee in the first round. Page was expected to headline Bellator London 2 against Derek Anderson on 23 November 2019 but Anderson withdrew for undisclosed reasons on 12 November 2019. Page instead fought Giovanni Melillo and won by knockout in the first round. On 29 December 2019, Page fought

Shinsho Anzai is a Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler. A professional competitor since 2009, he has fought in the UFC, Bellator, Pancrase and King of the Cage. Background Born and raised in Japan, Anzai began wrestling in high school at the age of ...

at Bellator & Rizin: Japan in a 173 lb catchweight bout. He won by knockout in the second round.

2020

Page faced Ross Houston at Bellator 248 on 10 October 2020. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

2021

Page faced Derek Anderson at

Bellator 258 Bellator 258: Archuleta vs. Pettis was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 7, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. This fight card is notable for being Anthony Johnson's final fight before ...

on 7 May 2021. Page was supposed to fight Anderson twice before at Bellator 179 and Bellator London 2. During the first round, Page broke and flattened Anderson's nose with a kick, leading to the doctor stopping the fight between rounds. Page faced

in a rematch on 1 October 2021 at Bellator 267, Bellator's first card in the UK since the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He won the bout via split decision.

2022

Page was scheduled to fight for the Bellator Welterweight World Championship against reigning champion

Yaroslav Amosov Yaroslav Amosov (born 9 September 1993) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Welterweight (MMA), welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Welterweight Champion ...

on May 13, 2022 at Bellator 281. However, Amosov pulled out of the bout to fight in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since Feb ...

and was replaced by

Logan Storley Logan Storley (born September 8, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Interim Bellator Welterweigh ...

with the bout instead being for the interim Bellator Welterweight World Championship. Page lost the bout via split decision.

Boxing career

On 12 July 2017, it was announced that Page signed a three-year, fifteen-fight contract with Hayemaker Ringstar, a promotional joint venture of

David Haye David Deron Haye (born 13 October 1980) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 2002 and 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, and was the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amate ...

and Richard Schaefer. Page began training under the tutelage of Ismael Salas at Hayemaker HQ on 27 July 2017, alongside Joe Joyce,

Qais Ashfaq Qais Ashfaq (born 10 March 1993) is a British professional boxer. As an amateur, Ashfaq competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics as well as winning a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Amateur career He won the 2012 and 2014 Amateur Bo ...

, and

Willy Hutchinson William Hutchinson (born 4 August 1998) is a Scottish professional boxer. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2016 Youth World Championships in the middleweight division. Amateur career Hutchinson is regarded as one of Scotland's most ...

. While he still trains at London Shootfighters, he spends four days a week training at Hayemaker HQ. Page compared the transition from MMA to boxing to a "sprinter turning into a long distance runner." He did commentary for

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, billed as ''The Money Fight'' and ''The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History'', was a professional boxing match between undefeated eleven-time five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

with

Mike Costello Mike Costello is a British sports broadcaster. He is the main boxing commentator for DAZN, having previously worked at BBC Radio for 45 years. Early life Costello was born in April 1960 and grew up in Camberwell in south London. Both his par ...

and

Steve Bunce Steve Bunce (born 3 December 1962 in Camden Town, London), nicknamed "Buncey", is a British freelance television and radio sport pundit and newspaper columnist. Career He has regularly appeared as a pundit on the BBC sports programme ''Inside ...

BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcast ...

. Page made his boxing debut on 20 October 2017 at Hayemaker Ringstar Fight Night against Jonathan Castano as the co-main event. He won via technical knockout in the third round. He was supposed to debut on the undercard of Haye vs. Bellew but was still negotiating with Bellator at the time. Page wanted to fight at Hayemaker Ringstar Fight Night 2 on 16 February 2018 but Bellator wanted an MMA fight scheduled before allowing him to commit to another boxing fight. He was expected to fight on the undercard of Haye vs. Bellew II but Bellator prevented him from competing due to its proximity to Bellator 200. Page fought at Hayemaker Ringstar Fight Night 3 against Michal Ciach on 15 June 2018. He won by knockout in the second round.

Bare-knuckle boxing

In June 2022, it was announced that Page would make his bare-knuckle boxing debut for

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) is an American bare-knuckle boxing promotion based in Philadelphia. BKFC is the first promotion to hold an official state-sanctioned and commissioned bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States since 1 ...

. He fought

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran Mike Perry on August 20, 2022 in the main event at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 27: London. Page lost by majority decision after the sixth round after the bout was declared a split draw decision following the first five rounds.

Fighting style

Page describes his discipline as a "hands down kickboxing style" created from a "mishmash" of taekwondo, karate, and kung fu styles competing under a points scoring ruleset. As a low-volume movement-based fighter his game plan revolves around controlling distance and landing heavy counterstrikes with high accuracy. He relies on his elusive movement and knockout power to finish opponents and often engages in histrionics while fighting to maintain focus, unnerve his opponents, and rile up the crowd. Page credited Curtis Page Sr., Pauline Reece, Simon Lewis, and Marvin Francis as being the most influential in his combat sports career.

Personal life

Page received the moniker "Venom" from fellow kickboxer Marvin Francis in homage of the film ''

Five Deadly Venoms ''Five Deadly Venoms'' ('五毒' – Cantonese: ''Ng5 Duk6''), also known as ''Five Venoms'', is a cult 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh, starring the Venom Mob, with martial arts choreography by Leung Ting, and produced ...

''. He became a Pollo-pescetarian in August 2017.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

World Combat Games The World Combat Games is an international multi-sport event featuring combat sports and martial arts. The games were founded by SportAccord (now known as the Global Association of International Sports Federations) as a way of bringing various m ...

** 2010 World Combat Games Silver Medalist (Semi-Contact) *

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (W.A.K.O or WAKO) is an international kickboxing organization counting over 120 affiliated countries representing all five continents. WAKO is a major governing body of amateur kickboxing and is ...

** 2011 W.A.K.O. Irish Open Silver Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2009 W.A.K.O. World Championships Silver Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2009 W.A.K.O. Irish Open Silver Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2009 W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup Gold Medalist (Light Contact) ** 2009 W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2008 W.A.K.O. Irish Open Silver Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2008 W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact) ** 2007 W.A.K.O. World Championships Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact) *

World Kickboxing Association The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) also known as World Kickboxing and Karate Association, is one of the oldest and the largest amateur and professional sanctioning body for kickboxing and Karate. History In 1976, the WKA was founded by Howa ...

** 2009 WKA World Championships Bronze Medalist (Light Contact) ** 2009 WKA World Championships Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact) *

International Sport Karate Association The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the Unite ...

** 1998 US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact)

Mixed martial arts

** Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinalist ** Tied (with

) for most stoppage victories in Bellator Welterweight division history (nine) ** Tied (with

) for most knockout victories in Bellator Welterweight division history (eight) **Most knockout victories in Bellator history (ten) *

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

** 2016 Knockout of the Year vs.

MMAjunkie MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Magazine'', ''The N ...

**2016 July Knockout of the Month vs.

**2016 Knockout of the Year vs.

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**Sherdog's Top 10: Greatest Single Strikes in MMA History (No. 4) vs.

**Sherdog's Top 10: Bellator MMA Knockouts (No. 2) vs.

**2016 Knockout of the Year vs.

* theScore **MMA's most devastating knockouts of 2016 (No. 1) vs.

Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...

**2016 Knockout of the Year vs.

Mixed martial arts record

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:10 ,

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Professional boxing record

Bare knuckle record

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, , -

Kickboxing record

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, , KO (punch) , , 2 , , 2:04 , , 1–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial Bellator profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Michael 1987 births Living people English sportspeople of Trinidad and Tobago descent English sportspeople of Jamaican descent People from Paddington People from Ewell People from Hackney Central People educated at Quintin Kynaston School Black British sportspeople Sportspeople from London Boxers from Greater London British wushu practitioners English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu English male kickboxers English male karateka English male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Lau Gar Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu English male boxers Light-heavyweight boxers Bellator male fighters Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo

Early life

Kickboxing career

Mixed martial arts career

Background

UCMMA

Super Fight League

Bellator MMA

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Boxing career

Bare-knuckle boxing

Fighting style

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional boxing record

Bare knuckle record

Kickboxing record

See also

References

External links