Michael 'Venom' Page wins UFC debut as Brit star beats Kevin Holland on points

10 March 2024 , 05:01

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Michael 'Venom' Page wins UFC debut as Brit star beats Kevin Holland on points

Michael 'Venom' Page put on a striking showcase in his UFC debut as the British MMA star beat Kevin Holland on points.

Page’s unorthodox style was on display right away in the fight as he bounced around the cage with his hands down, but it didn’t take long for Holland to clinch the Brit and attack him with knees. Holland stopped Page in his tracks with a good leg kick but he got back to his feet and continued his in-and-out attacks.

Ex-US President Donald Trump was amongst those cageside at the Kaseya Center in Miami watching as Page and Holland duked it out on the feet. Holland got Page down in the second round after the Brit slipped but he was able to make it back up and cut Holland under his eye with a right hand.

Michael 'Venom' Page beat Kevin Holland in his UFC debut

Holland dragged Page to the ground again in the final round but the Brit’s defence continued to hold up. Page made the Miami crowd laugh as he showboated when Holland fell to the ground. The American’s frustration grew as the final bell approached and all three judges' scorecards scored the fight 29-28 in his favour.

“It feels the same in terms of calibre and how I feel inside. Kevin is a tough guy. I’ve got a lot more work to do, but this is where I’m supposed to be. Anybody that doubted this is where I’m supposed to be, you’ve just seen it for yourself," Page said in his post-fight interview.

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In the main event of UFC 299, bantamweight world champion Sean O'Malley avenged the only loss of his career to Marlon 'Chito' Vera and defended his world title for the first time. O'Malley outclassed Vera on the feet over five rounds and cruised to a one-sided points win as the judges' scored the fight 50-45, 50-45 and 50-44 in his favour.

"Chito is as tough as they get, it feels good to get that one back. I think we can all agree I'm undefeated still," O'Malley said in his post-fight interview. O'Malley then called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for a super-fight: "Give me a jet to Spain, I want Ilia Topuria. He's a scary dude and going up a weight class excites me."

Harry Davies