Michael “Venom” Page knows he’s in a unique position with a promoter who will actually allow him to explore opportunities where there’s far more risk than reward involved for them.
On the heels of his split decision loss in an interim welterweight title fight against Logan Storley in May, Page was awaiting word on when he could return to action but unfortunately Bellator didn’t have anything available for him right away.
This was when he heard that BKFC wanted to feature him on a bare-knuckle card, the first in Britain.
” I like making noise in the fight world,” Page said to MMA Fighting. “Obviously, my last fight didn’t go according to plan. Bellator said they would not have any available until October, and I thought it was ridiculous. It’s time to start working now.
“Bellator’s always allowed me to do other things like boxing before, this opportunity kind of fell in my lap. I was like let’s go, let’s make it happen. We’re doing this .”
because Bellator supported us 100%.
According to Page, his bare-knuckle debut didn’t happen simply because BKFC was interested in him fighting but rather an introduction made to him through a former heavyweight and cruiserweight boxing champion.
“It’s actually through David Haye,” Page revealed. “David Haye is a good friend of my coach so they were kind of talking and David Haye does some work with BKFC every now and again. He just asked Michael if he was interested and it was. That just kind of speeded up the whole process.
” We spoke with Bellator, and while we were still looking for something, they suggested that .”
be considered.
Fighters rarely have the chance to pursue other interests due to restrictive contracts in MMA. Although co-promotion is occasionally possible, it’s rare that fighters are allowed to pursue outside interests without permission.
In this instance, Bellator is in fact risking one its top performers by sending Mike Perry over to fight against Mike Perry. There’s no reward for the Paramount-owned company.
A similar situation has been developing for several months. Francis Ngannou is looking to fight Tyson Fury, the heavyweight boxing champ. However, UFC repeatedly declines to give him this opportunity. The situation has turned so dire that Ngannou is prepared to wait out the remainder of his contract with the UFC to reach free agency so he will have the freedom to go after the fight without any further interference from his promoter.
This is why Page feels happy to be with Bellator. Scott Coker, the company president, not only gave him the opportunity to fight in BKFC but also wished Page luck before his battle with Perry.
Over the course of @MichaelPage247‘s 18-fight career at @BellatorMMA, we’ve allowed Michael to challenge himself outside our cage in professional boxing. As he attempts to win the Bellator title again, we wish him all the best.
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) June 9, 2022
” If you take a look at what Bellator wants to do right now, including possibly collaborating with Eagle FC,” Page stated. “They’ve done collaboration in Japan before with their shows [with RIZIN]. Collaboration with Cage Warriors, U.K .
“They are definitely open to that kind of thing and obviously they’ve allowed me to box before. It is great to be a part of an organization that permits their fighters .”
more.
There was a time a few years ago when Page was at odds with Bellator over how he was being promoted and the activity he was keeping as a fighter on the roster.
Not only are those barriers gone, but Page could not have asked for a better companion for his fight sports career. Page continues to seek out the best opportunities in mixed martial arts and boxing, as well as for bare-knuckle combat.
“I think anybody in any relationship, you’re going to have ups and downs,” Page said. “I’m a person that will just voice it, let it be known, we have a conversation about it and we move past it.
“It’s only gotten better to be fair. As you can see, they allowed me to do this, which is something that’s made my day.”
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