"We need more of this in MMA" - Ariel Helwani praises Bellator and BKFC for making Michael 'Venom' Page vs. Mike Perry possible

Michael 'Venom' Page (left), Ariel Helwani (center), and Mike Perry (right) [Images courtesy Getty and @platinummikeperry on Instagram]

Bellator’s own Michael 'Venom' Page will step inside the circular BKFC ring to take on Mike Perry on August 20 in London. This surprising pairing was announced today by the promotion and according to Ariel Helwani, the sport of MMA could use more collaboration between various organizations.

The journalist praised the initiative on Twitter with the following post:

“We need more of this in MMA. Promoters coming together to deliver for the fans and, most importantly, the fighters. Kudos to Bellator and BKFC.”

We need more of this in MMA. Promoters coming together to deliver for the fans and, most importantly, the fighters. Kudos to Bellator and BKFC. twitter.com/arielhelwani/s…

Interestingly enough, Bellator MMA has a good record when it comes to collaboration with other promotions. Their first Dynamite event was held in cooperation with Glory Kickboxing, and their first visit to Japan was a joint venture with RIZIN. The organization is now allowing one of its most popular athletes to fight in another promotion’s event.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page has been a Bellator fighter since 2014. He’s known for his flashy, striking-based style, which has yielded 12 wins by knockout. 'MVP' most recently lost his interim welterweight title fight against Logan Storley at Bellator 281. He also has a professional boxing record of 2-0 with both wins coming by stoppage.

Mike Perry is a former UFC welterweight who was released from the promotion in 2021. He made his BKFC debut at KnuckleMania II back in February, where he defeated fellow UFC alumni, Julian Lane. Additionally, he earlier fought at the unique hybrid-rules event Triad Combat, where he defeated professional boxer Michael Seals by split decision. The ruleset was a mix of MMA and professional boxing.

Michael 'Venom' Page wants a rematch with Logan Storley

The loss to Storley marked the second time that Michael 'Venom' Page had to acknowledge defeat in his career. The first loss took place at Bellator 221, where he was knocked out by Douglas Lima. Page was able to bounce back by stacking up a five-fight win streak before beating Lima in their rematch.

'MVP' is now determined to repeat this scenario when it comes to Storley, especially when the fight itself didn’t take a physical toll on him. In his interview with MMA Junkie, Michael 'Venom' Page said:

“He’s won but not in any kind of spectacular fashion. I’ve legit had harder spars. The reason I say it that way is because physically I don’t have a bruise, I don’t have a sore, I don’t have an ache. Anything. It doesn’t even feel like I’ve had a five-round fight. That’s probably the most frustrating thing about it, is losing in a way where I know for a fact I could go into a fight this weekend and feel fine and be good to go. I know he couldn’t say the same.” h/t MMA Junkie

The only problem is that Storley is expected to fight in a unification bout against Yaroslav Amosov, who’s currently defending his home country of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. It’s hard to say when the Ukrainian fighter will be back, so in the meantime, Michael 'Venom' Page is ready to defeat anybody that Bellator puts in his way.

💥 @Michaelpage247 pushing the pace.

#Bellator281 LIVE on @bbcthree 🇬🇧 https://t.co/osALlDeBzu