Michael 'Venom' Page signs with UFC as British star set for major debut
Michael 'Venom' Page will make his long-awaited UFC debut next year as Dana White announced the Brit's debut fight against Kevin Holland.
Page, 36, has been linked with a UFC move for years but a potential move started heating up in the summer when he became a free agent. 'MVP' split with Bellator MMA in the summer and was cageside for UFC London just days later, but he recently teased a move to the PFL after facing off with former kickboxing world champion Cedric Doumbe in Dublin.
White announced Page's signing at the UFC 296 post-fight press conference on Saturday night as he said: "Before we get started, I'll announce some fights for you guys here. This Miami card is stacking up to be bada**, Michael Venom Page against Kevin Holland. Song Yadong versus Petr Yan, Gilbert Burns versus Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry versus Geoff Neal."
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White said of his decision to match Page against Holland: "I think it's his age, his experience and it's the right fight to make." Page has only fought once in the last year as he stopped Goiti Yamauchi in just 26-seconds with a leg kick in March. The Brit came up short in his lone interim world title shot for Bellator last May in a one-sided decision loss to Logan Storley.
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Holland was already linked to a fight against Page for UFC 297, which takes place on January 20 in Canada. The matchup was 'leaked' after White filmed a podcast inside the 'War Room' at his promotion's headquarters in Las Vegas. White and UFC matchmakers put together fights in the room and spotted in the background of the podcast was a pencilled-in fight between Page and Holland for the pay-per-view event.
'MVP' revealed that he never met UFC boss White until being invited out to the promotion's recent pay-per-view event in the Middle East. “I got to be invited by Hunter [Campbell, UFC Chief Business Officer] over to Abu Dhabi to watch a show over there, which was an exceptional show,” Page said on The MMA Fan Show. “It was actually the first time I met Dana. It was still early doors, but it was just nice to meet the people that are interested.”
Holland was touted to fight Vicente Luque on Saturday night after the Brazilian's original opponent Ian Garry pulled out due to pneumonia. Holland put his name forward on just days' notice and Luque accepted the American's call-out, but the fight didn't materialise and Luque was pulled from the event entirely.
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