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There’s no denying that Michael ‘Venom’ Page is one of the most entertaining fighters on the Bellator roster. The former kickboxer has become one of the promotion’s biggest homegrown stars and has been a fan-favorite. He is a very charismatic fighter who continues to generate interest in his bouts.
Page has numerous highlight-reel finishes in the promotion and could have many more before his career is over. After his most recent loss to Logan Storley, many wondered who he would be fighting next. In an interesting turn of events, MVP will be entering the world of bare-knuckle boxing when he fights Mike Perry.
‘Venom’ has been granted permission to compete against the UFC alum at BKFC’s upcoming event in London on August 20. Unlike the UFC, Scott Coker has been more open to the idea of cross-promotional bouts if it benefits all parties involved.
This list will look at the top 5 Michael ‘Venom’ Page finishes in Bellator so far.
#5. MVP knocks out Richard Kiely – Bellator 227
Every time Michael ‘Venom’ Page competes in Bellator, he tries to give fans their money’s worth. Richard Kiely found that out first-hand when he fought the former title challenger in 2019. It was significant as it was Page’s first bout since his first career loss to Douglas Lima in the welterweight Grand Prix.
What made the bout interesting was that the fight took place in Ireland, so the crowd was rallying behind their countryman. Kiely is also a member of SBG Ireland, which features some of the sport’s top Irish fighters, including Conor McGregor.
It was a huge mismatch as Kiely only had a 3-1 MMA record, while MVP was 14-1. ‘Venom’ didn’t waste any time against Kiely and immediately looked for ways he could expose him in the standup. At one point, MVP was deducted a point for taunting his opponent.
Page found the perfect opportunity and landed a flying knee that dropped Kiely. The referee immediately stepped in to stop the fight and put MVP back on track in the welterweight division.
#4. MVP knocks out Ricky Rainey – Bellator 120
Michael ‘Venom’ Page was consistent with finishing opponents in the first round early on in his Bellator tenure. His promotional debut lasted only 10-seconds as he knocked out Ryan Sanders to improve to 4-0. After a submission win over Ramdan Mohamed in the Super Fight League, MVP returned for a bout with Ricky Rainey.
It was an important event as it was the promotion’s first pay-per-view. Their fights were free on Spike TV, so they wanted to take advantage of a revenue stream like pay-per-view. Even now, they run a different business model than the UFC, whose revenue is much higher with the success of their pay-per-views.
Page imposed his will on Rainey from the opening bell until the finish. He landed a flying knee followed by a spinning backfist and rolled through Rainey’s counter strikes with ease. After landing jabs, ‘Venom’ dropped him with a right-hook that connected above Rainey’s left ear. The win extended his unbeaten streak and improved his MMA record to 6-0.
#3. MVP knocks out Rudy Bears – Bellator 140
Page was believed to be in for a tougher test when he fought Rudy Bears at Bellator 140. Bears was experienced fighter with 29 professional bouts and an MMA record of 16-13. He came into the bout following back-to-back wins in Shamrock FC and looked to derail the MVP hype train.
Many wondered how ‘Venom’ would perform after going the distance for the first time in his career in his previous bout. He couldn’t finish Nah-Shon Burrell and instead earned a unanimous decision win. He put any doubt to rest against Bears and stopped him via knockout at 1:05 of the first round.
Page weaved around Bears and avoided his strikes before finding his moment to attack. He used his movements very well as he threw Bears off and dropped him with a straight-right. This was impressive because it was already his seventh finish in only his eighth professional fight.
#2. MVP stops Derek Anderson – Bellator 258
Michael ‘Venom’ Page has been criticized at times for the quality of his opponents throughout his tenure in Bellator. After a controversial unanimous decision win over Ross Houston, MVP matched up with Derek Anderson. 'The Barbaric' won three straight fights and during his tenure, has wins over Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire and Saad Awad.
It was a spectacular performance by MVP that put to rest any doubts over his ability to finish tougher competition. The mind games were on full display as he would taunt ‘The Barbaric’ following their exchanges. He had a lot of success with his jabs from distance and with his straight strikes when Anderson would get closer.
Towards the end of the first round, ‘Venom’ caught ‘The Barbaric’ with his hands down and made him pay for it. He dropped Anderson with a left high-kick to the face, which ended up breaking his nose. He survived the round, but the doctor stopped the bout in between rounds and Page was awarded a TKO win.
#1. MVP knocks out Cyborg Santos – Bellator 158
Page showcased his power when he finished Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos at Bellator 158. It was an incredible knockout that has since been included in many of his highlight-reels. The bout took place in London and saw fans rally behind their countryman.
Santos had some promising moments in the first round as he managed to secure a takedown from the clinch. He held MVP on the ground for the remainder of the round, but was unable to inflict damage. ‘Cyborg’ not inflicting damage ended up being costly as Page had time to regroup and figure out a strategy for round-two.
‘Venom’ had a methodical approach in the second round as he struck and moved quickly to avoid being taken down. He then circled around ‘Cyborg’ and continued to back him off against the fence. MVP finished Santos at 4:31 in the second round following a flying knee. It was a devastating finish, as it was reported that ‘Cyborg’ suffered a fractured skull as a result of the knee.
