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#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.
