Michael “Venom” Page has no illusions about the difficulties he may face in his first bare-knuckle fight when he takes on Mike Perry in London on Aug. 20.
Because promotions such as the BKFC are now a viable option to fighters, many boxers and mixed martial artists have taken off their gloves to cross over into a different sport. Only to find that the bare-knuckle was a completely new kind of animal.
That said, Page isn’t overly concerned about his own transition, especially given the history bare-knuckle fights have in his home country, not to mention the experience he’s gained thanks to the people guiding him every day inside the gym.
” To be honest, bare-knuckle was something that a lot people in kickboxing had done before it became underground. Page spoke to MMA Fighting. “So it’s always something that I kind of hoped I would be able to do but obviously it was an underground thing so I thought it never would be. It was legalized, and it has grown steadily over the years. I considered doing something similar towards the end my career. But then, it seemed like everything was falling into place.
” It’s just a matter of making some adjustments. My coaches used to do bare-knuckle themselves so they’re well versed in that area. I’m just excited. Making adjustments is what I enjoy. This is combat at the end. While it won’t be that different, it will still be different. It’s just making those adjustments. That’s it.”
Page isn’t ignoring the differences between the striking arts because he’s had to dramatically alter his approach to fighting in the past as well.
He just expects his willingness to learn and dedication to evolving to be key components that will help him find as much success in a bare-knuckle fight as he’s had in MMA, kickboxing, and even boxing in the past.
” I believe that every challenge I give myself, it is important to treat each one the same.” Page stated. “It is with humility and respect to anybody that’s in that sport already and their experience in that world. It doesn’t matter what age it is now. It was the same when I started kickboxing and moved into mixed martial art. Mixed martial arts to boxing, I had to do the same thing.
” I’ve tried so many different combat sports, it is obvious that you should do the exact same thing. You have to do exactly the same thing. As soon as you go to a new area, a new field, you have to give as much respect. I do it every time and once I feel at home in the area I’m most comfortable with, I become a ‘MVP’ .
Page is best-known for his stunning style on the feet. He expects that he will be able to adapt well to being bare-knuckled.
There’s always an inherent danger in any fight, but Page doesn’t feel like he will deal with a steep learning curve despite no prior experience in the sport.
“As long as I give respect to the sport and I find myself in that sport, I find that groove in that sport, 100 percent I’ll be a different beast in that area,” Page said.
” There are certain things that I need to do correctly. This is something I don’t forget. It’s not a problem for anyone who is standing in front of me with their bare hands
With Perry as an opponent, Page knows he’ll face a fighter with extreme one-punch knockout power and the kind of durability that has defined his career up to this point.
Even with his nose smashed halfway across his face in a fight against Vicente Luque back in 2019, Perry was swinging hammers from the first second until the last. The nose was later repaired and Perry promptly accepted another fight just four months later.
While he admires the guts that Perry has shown in so many of his past fights, Page has no problem dishing out as much damage as possible to see just how much the “Platinum” one can take.
“I expect anybody in this sport, anybody in boxing, anybody in bare-knuckle boxing, anybody in mixed martial arts, to have a certain level of toughness,” Page said. He is a tough guy and deserves a lot. However, I have stood up to so many hard fighters and demoralized them.
“You can be the hardest hitter in the world, you have to land punches. It’s going to be difficult. He’s going to have somebody that’s consecutively landing cleaner strikes. It’s going be demoralizing for him to throw punches and not land, then have someone hit him clean every two seconds. He’s tough, but I put a lot of mental pressure on him until I win .”
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Although Page can’t predict if the fight in BKFC in August will be his final, he is excited for this matchup.
Page loves challenges more than anything and Perry sounds like an ideal partner in any bare-knuckle fight.
“I just enjoy combat,” Page said. “If there was something else out there that could challenge me, I’d look forward to doing that. Combat is something I love. I really enjoy expressing my style. My style is both appealing to a wide range of people and yet so devastating.
“I know that once I relax and get into the room, it’s going to make me feel amazing. This is not the right product for everybody. It’s not made for everybody. Even if someone believes they can do it, some people don’t feel the same way. It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong. I believe there is no right or wrong. But .”
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