Midnight Roundup! Michael 'Venom' Page on grand walkout, UFC icon on Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, Jake Paul names next opponent, and more

With the highly anticipated UFC 298 event approaching fast, former Bellator icon Michael 'Venom' Page promised fans an entertaining UFC debut walkout. Apart from his maiden octagon outing, fans will also be treated to some other blockbuster combat sports events in the coming month.

Stay up to date with the latest and most exciting MMA news updates with Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

Michael 'Venom' Page confirms showstopping walkout for UFC 298

Michael 'Venom' Page is easily one of the most exciting fighters to sign with the UFC in recent memory. After dazzling fans with his flashy kickboxing at Bellator for several years, the 36-year-old Englishman joined the UFC last month, and fans couldn't be more excited to see him replicate his magic in the octagon.

While he's widely known for his entertaining fighting style, Page is also famous for putting on dramatic walkouts. Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what he's planning for his promotional debut against Kevin Holland at UFC 298 next month.

In an exclusive interview with the UFC, Page confirmed that he has some plans to make his first octagon walk an entertaining one. After being asked about it, he replied:

"A hundred percent. I think that’s part of the package that the UFC has kinda brought into as well. They know that that’s what I come with. I think they accept that already... These guys are open to allow me to really express myself and be me, which is great to see."

Former UFC champion predicts Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight boxing match

Former UFC champion Michael Bisping recently shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk boxing match. The two heavyweight pugilists will go head to head for the undisputed crown on Feb.17 in Saudi Arabia.

While Bisping admitted that 'The Gypsy King' is among the greatest boxers in heavyweight history, he could find himself in deep waters against Usyk. 'The Count' pointed to the Ukrainian boxer's defensive awareness, footwork, and speed to predict that Fury could potentially be knocked down.

In a recent YouTube video, Bisping warned Fury about his trash-talking against Usyk potentially backfiring and said:

"Beautiful display of boxing every time Usyk fights," he said. "Fast footwork, nonstop head movement, moving the head off the center-line. If you're moving the head, obviously, you avoid the straight shots and you're much harder to hit than a static target, obviously. He gets on the inside, he cuts angles really well... Make no mistake, that man has massive power in his hands as well... We might see Tyson Fury sat down."

Catch Michael Bisping's comments below (5:08):

Jake Paul reveals next opponent for upcoming fight card on March 2

When Jake Paul said he's made boxing the center of his life's focus, he meant it. 'The Problem Child' is set to return to the squared circle for an eight-round cruiserweight on March 2 at the El Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Paul will be facing another seasoned pugilist this time as well. In a recent social media post uploaded by his promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, he revealed Ryan Bourland as his next opponent. They will fight in the co-main event of a card headlined by Amanda Serrano vs. Nina Meinke.

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Bourland has a professional record of 17-2, with six of those wins coming via knockout. 'The Rhino' is also a former Golden Gloves champion and national junior Olympic-level boxer. The 35-year-old is coming off a fifth-round TKO victory over Santario Martin in September 2022.

Chris Curtis discusses Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland title fight outcome at UFC 297

Sean Strickland lost the UFC middleweight championship to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. After a hard-fought five-round affair, du Plessis won via split decision and took home the 185-pound strap.

In the aftermath, many opined that Strickland should've won the decision and believed he was robbed of a title defense. Dana White and Joe Rogan were notably among those who believed so.

Curtis, who trains with 'Tarzan' at Xtreme Couture MMA, recently opened up about the controversial results. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, he said:

"I had it 3-2 Sean. I think the blood was a big factor in the judges' scoring. This is going to sound disrespectful as f**k but I think a lot of times judges get smooth-brained when they see blood... I think a lot of times, unfortunately, blood does sway a lot of opinions. I think in rounds that were close, I think the fact that Sean ended up looking worse on the eye test just because of the blood at the end may have worked against him." [H/T MMAFighting.com]

Catch Chris Curtis' full interview below:

Tyron Woodley flames UFC for poor fighter pay and salary structure

Tyron Woodley minced no words while slamming the UFC for allegedly treating him unfairly during his time at the promotion. Woodley won the welterweight title against Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 and defended it four times.

In a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson, 'The Chosen One' discussed the UFC's fighter pay structure and how he was paid the same as Donald Cerrone, despite 'Cowboy' never winning a title. He said:

"I was going to leave the UFC after [fighting] Darren Till. I told them, ‘F**king cut me, dog. Ya’ll don’t want me here. Why ya’ll keep holding on to me, dog?’ ... I knew what everybody was making. I’m not finna go out there and be making the same as ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone."

He continued:

""That motherf**ker ain’t never touched gold in his life. That’s just a principle thing... I’m thankful that you gave me an opportunity, but you didn’t give me the gifts. God gave me the gifts. I’m thankful to him." [H/T MMAJunkie.usatoday.com]

Watch the full interview below:

Henry Cejudo hints at potential retirement with UFC 298 loss against Merab Dvalishvili

Henry Cejudo recently revealed that he could hang up his gloves for the second time in his career if he loses to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298. The former two-division champion will face the Georgian fighter in a bantamweight contest at on Feb. 17 in his second UFC outing since coming out of retirement.

In his previous fight, Cejudo lost to Aljamain Sterling via split decision at UFC 288 in May 2023. Given his recent form, 'Triple C' knows he might have to make some tough decisions if he suffers another loss.

In a recent interview on The HJR Experiment, Cejudo broke down his mindset going into the next fight and stated:

"I think if I was going to go maybe down the ladder, I would probably be done with fighting again. Yeah, man, because it's just like, this sport is hard, man. Training camps, having two kids and things like that... It's all or nothing, man."