Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson credited by Michael 'Venom' Page for contributing to the development of his character
Michael 'Venom' Page attributed the development of his character to the influence of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
After months of speculation, UFC CEO Dana White revealed during the UFC 296 post-fight press conference that Page has formally inked a deal with the organization. 'Venom' is set to make his promotional debut against Kevin Holland at UFC 299 in March 2024.
The former Bellator MMA welterweight fighter is recognized for his striking and complex kickboxing skills, accompanied by a 21-2 professional record.
During his recent interview with TNT Sports, Page was questioned about whether his unique style inside the cage is an organic reflection of his persona or a deliberate choice. The 36-year-old Briton answered:
"It's definitely a conscious decision. And it is more so, before my first fight I was thinking about this for hours and hours and literally watched hours and hours of Dwayne Johnson because him as 'The Rock' for me was like... He's unrivaled in regard to that crowd, he has the crowd in his hands. I was like, I'm going to look after some of the stuff he does and adopt it for myself."
Check out Michael 'Venom' Page's comments below:
Michael 'Venom' Page recommends fines for trash-talking
Michael 'Venom' Page has put forth an interesting idea, proposing that the UFC should impose penalties on those who exceed the limits in their trash-talking.
Despite his anticipation of joining the UFC, 'Venom' expresses a lack of enthusiasm for the recent surge in disrespect and misconduct within the fighting scene.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Page voiced his dissatisfaction with fighters involving families in trash-talking, specifically referencing Colby Covington's recent remarks about Leon Edwards' deceased father. MVP underscored the promotional responsibility and urged the UFC to take stronger measures to prevent such disrespectful comments in the lead-up to fights:
"For me, I feel like the UFC could you know, hand out fines. Just do something just to kind of alleviate so people don't, If you're going to step over the [line], you know, I'm not going to punish you open to the public because it helps with sales I guess but, there you go, have that fine. Let's see how often you're going to want to do things like that. Like similar to a yellow card in football."
Check out Michael 'Venom' Page's comments below (from 14:17):