MIAMI – [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] felt a little off his game at UFC 299, but that did not prevent him from frustrating his opponent en route to a promotional debut victory.
Page is a showman, inside and out of the cage. From his WWE-themed entrance he said was toned down at the UFC’s request, to mid-fight taunts against Kevin Holland in his main card bout at Kaseya Center, it appeared “Venom” was as comfortable as ever. In reality, he may have been dealing with the infamous “octagon jitters” that some fighters experience in their UFC debut.
“It’s weird because from start to finish, I felt confident, but when I got in there – it wasn’t like I wasn’t confident, I was still feeling confident – but my body just wasn’t functioning in the way I wanted it to,” Page said at the post-fight news conference. “I don’t know what it was down to, but it’s the first one. I did what I needed to do to win.
“I felt miles better than him, I just felt like I could have done a lot more and definitely have got the finish if I was in order, but we got the dub.”
Winning a unanimous decision behind his typical bouncing, point karate side stance, Page seemed loose and fluid in his movement during the fight. Like a snake, he darted in and out with quick strikes, and removed himself from danger before Holland could respond. Hence the nickname, “Venom.”
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It was a performance that fans of Page were used to seeing, although he was unable to get a highlight reel finish. His style is not an easy one to deal with, causing Holland to become frustrated as the fight wore on, despite a few lighthearted verbal exchanges in the clinch.
“I could definitely see he was frustrated,” Page said about Holland. “… From the outside looking in, it’s easy to go, ‘Oh, I’ll just do this. Just kick his leg and do this.’ Then when you’re actually in there, the reality check is real. I am a lot faster than it may seem. People can say, ‘Oh yeah, I can see that he’s fast,’ but when I actually hit you with something, it’s really fast when you’re trying to land shots and nothing is landing.
“He’s used to being in a fight, and that’s what he feeds off. I’m used to not being in a fight. I’m just used to beating people up, so it just worked better for me.”
With the first UFC victory under his belt at 36, Page is not looking to call out anyone specific, or make up for lost time, because he believes he is already in the top tier of the welterweight division.
“The reason I put myself in the deep end first is so I’m not starting from far behind and having to make too many jumps forward to get there, because now I don’t feel in a rush,” Page said. “I fought an amazing athlete in Kevin Holland, very high, towards the top of the table of the UFC. So, I don’t need to rush, I’m already there.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.