UFC's Michael Page: I was happy in Bellator, but 'I knew there was more for me'
Michael Page is excited to show his personality on the biggest stage in the UFC.
Michael Page is excited to show his personality on the biggest stage in MMA.
News of two-time Bellator title challenger Page (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) signing with the UFC was made official this past December. A showman in and out of the cage, Page has thrilled fans with his walkouts, performances, and even post-fight celebrations. He believes his showmanship in Bellator went a little under appreciated.
“It was a sense of relief of being free because I have a good relationship with Bellator, and I was happy there. But at the same time, I knew there was more for me,” Page said on “Smack Talk With Sandhu.” “I felt undervalued there. I just wanted to explore.
“So, even if I ended up going back to Bellator, it would be at kind of the value I see myself at. There was a nice sense of relief and freedom to first be out. Then there was a lot of attention, so that was really nice to be fair. It definitely reaffirmed what I thought of myself and how I feel like I should have been appreciated.”
Page makes his octagon debut against Kevin Holland (25-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) on the main card of UFC 299 on March 9 at Kaseya Center in Miami. MVP is eager to show he can hang with the elite.
“There’s so many names in the UFC that I’ve sparred with and some of them will give you some horror stories of what I’ve done,” Page said. “But none of them would ever downplay the level that I’m at after sparring me.
“So I’ve always been confident in myself to know what I can do. My ego is definitely just wanting to prove that to everybody else, but at the same time I know. I already know the standard that I’m at. It will be good to just affirm it with the world watching.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.