UFC welterweight contender Michael Page doubts that Kevin Holland will have a kickboxing match with him later this year.
‘Venom’ recently ended his high-profile free agency. In March, Michael Page competed in his last fight in the Bellator cage, scoring a stoppage win over Goiti Yamaguchi. Following that bout, he became a free agent. After months of speculation, he signed with the UFC last month and was booked against Kevin Holland.
The two were quickly added to UFC 299 in March. On paper, the bout sounds like a striker’s delight, and will likely be in the conversation for ‘Fight of the Night’. That being said, Michael Page isn’t as hot on that idea as many fans are. While Kevin Holland has made handshake deals with the likes of Stephen Thompson to fight on the feet, ‘MVP’ doesn’t think that will happen here.
Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Michael Page previewed his UFC debut against Kevin Holland. There, he paid a lot of respect to ‘Trailblazer’. However, he also added that there is no way that Holland will make a handshake deal with him, as he did with ‘Wonderboy ‘in December 2022.
The former Bellator title challenger also added that if his opponent tries to take him down, that won’t go well either. If Holland shoots for a takedown, that’s fine with Page. He will just greet him with a knee as he did in 2016 against Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos.
RELATED: MICHAEL BISPING EXPLAINS WHY ‘CRAZY’ TOM ASPINALL VS. BROCK LESNAR FIGHT COULD HEADLINE UFC 300
Image via: @michaelvenompage on Instagram
Michael Page doubts Kevin Holland will make striking only agreement
“I know for a fact Kevin Holland is not going to want to do that agreement again after the whooping that he took against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson,” Michael Page stated in the interview. “I see myself as the faster, harder-hitting, more dangerous version of a ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. He’s definitely not going to want to do that again. I’m happy to take that deal. If he wants to shake my hand and do that, we can do that. But I don’t believe he’s going to want to. He’s going to want to utilize as much as possible to deal with me.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
He continued,“…Anybody that wants to try to shoot for my legs, there’s a knee that’s right there that’s just triggering, waiting for that person to do that. We’ve seen the damage that can do. So it’s up to him… But I know my style by itself, without even adding any of the KOs or anything in there, is super entertaining for everybody to watch.”
He concluded, “Let’s say I don’t finish him, you’re going to see some crazy kicks, you’re going to see some crazy punches and some crazy interactions, and my hand is still going to get raised.”
What do you make of these comments? Are you excited for Michael Page’s UFC debut against Kevin Holland? Who do you have in that welterweight clash going down in March?
