"They've just been behind" - Michael 'Venom' Page claims his move to UFC coincides with potential UK takeover of MMA
Michael 'Venom' Page will make his long-awaited UFC debut at UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. He will take on UFC veteran Kevin Holland in a welterweight contest.
Page is one of many British fighters in the UFC. British MMA has seen a surge of both success and popularity, with 2023 being a truly special year for MMA in the UK.
Apart from Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall becoming UFC champions, the sport has seen a lot of growth in the region in general.
In an interview with the UFC, Michael 'Venom' Page spoke on the status of British MMA and explained what representing the region means to him. He said:
"Long time, the UK has definitely been progressing which is why we have two champions at the moment. When I started in the mixed martial arts world, it was very Brazilian at the time. There were a lot of Brazilian champions at the time. Then it slowly crossed over to the American champions, then you started seeing a lot of the Chechens and the Dagestanis coming through. The UK, they've always been a bit behind."
He went on to add:
"Jimi Manuwa, inspiring the next generation, Brad Pickett coming through, Mike Bisping winning the title, showing people it can be done. Then, the people to follow, Leon Edwards, Tom Aspinall... It shows people like, we can do this. So yeah, I've definitely come at a very interesting time, and I have that energy like it can be done, so I can defininitely see myself doing that."
Check out the clip here:
Michael 'Venom' Page shares images from training session with Tom Aspinall
Michael 'Venom' Page recently caught up with Tom Aspinall, and he took to Instagram to share some images from their training session together.
He did so alongside the caption:
"Getting that work in with the big dawg @tomaspinallofficial 💪🏾🔥"
Working with established UFC fighters will definitely prove beneficial for Page come fight night.
Holland boasts a ton of UFC experience, so being mentally tuned in and preventing the occasion from getting to him will be very important for Page to ensure he has a successful first outing in the UFC octagon.