The former Bellator standout is off to a strong start in his UFC career, quickly establishing himself as one of the most entertaining fighters in the division.
He’s put together back-to-back wins at middleweight, first over Jared Cannonier and then against previously unbeaten Shara Magomedov. Page has shown he’s more than just flash; he’s got real power and skill to back it up.
Training out of London Shootfighters, MVP keeps his opponents guessing with his flashy fighting style and isn’t shy about showing off when he gets the upper hand. We saw that again when he scored a knockdown against Cannonier at UFC 319.
So where did Page get his unique approach to fighting, and how did the ‘Venom’ nickname come about?
Michael Page was given the ‘Venom’ nickname when he was just 9 years old
Page grew up surrounded by martial arts, picking up skills and developing his unique style from an early age.
But that competitive edge didn’t just appear overnight. Even before stepping into the professional world of Bellator MMA and the UFC, Page showed signs of having a fierce fighting spirit.
Page explained on The Joe Rogan Experience how his nickname came about: “‘Venom’ came from when I was nine.”
“The only kids that were in my dad’s class at the time mainly are a few others because at the time we did it, it was basically one class. He didn’t really separate the kids and adults. Just one class.
“I’m trying my best. I’m throwing everything to hit adults. I’m trying my best to just get some kind of reaction,” Page recalled. “And then when I started hitting people my own size, even though I was losing because they were more naturally developed than me, but I had a whack on me.”
The name stuck after a coach noticed something different about him during those early sessions.
Michael Page’s fighting style inspired by kung fu films
Page is one of the fastest and most unorthodox fighters in MMA. A former kickboxing champion, Page says he took inspiration from old school kung fu movies and applied it to his fighting style.
“We [were] very into kung fu movies back in the day,” Page said. “Creative mind. I learned a jab like this, and now I have to add something. I can’t do things conventional. I’ve never liked to do it. If everyone’s walking that way, like, I wanna see what’s over there…
“I don’t know what is wrong with me or what’s right with me. I was curious and creative. “There’s a film called the Five Deadly Venoms, old school kung fu classic. And [my coach] would be like, yeah, Five Deadly Venoms, let’s make a move for each thing because he’d be like scorpion or toad.
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“I would make up weird moves and try to add it into and that was always my thing. I’d see something in the movies, and I’m like, I’m gonna try it in there…
Page added: “This is all while I’m still getting beaten up, by the way. But that never left me. So even when I started beating all these people now, I’m doing it with the style and flare of like what more can I do?”
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