Michael ‘Venom’ Page admits he made a ‘silly mistake’ during UFC 319 post-fight interview
Michael Page was refreshingly honest during his post-fight interview at UFC 319.
‘MVP’ squared off against former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier in Chicago on Saturday night.
Michael Page scored two knockdowns as he danced his way into a commanding lead at UFC 319.
However, he almost suffered a come-from-behind defeat when he made a major mistake in the final frame.
THROWBACK: UFC 319 star made ’embarrassed’ opponent quit and personally wave the fight off after his ‘face exploded’
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLCMichael Page vs. Jared Cannonier UFC 319 result A slow start to round one burst into life when Page scored a one-punch knockdown at the midway point.
Cannonier bounced back up to his feet before being taunted by his showman opponent, who told him to calm down as he danced around the Octagon.
‘The Killa Gorilla’ held Page against the Octagon wall for most of the first frame, but he was unable to get the takedown and probably lost the round.
Page landed early and often during the second stanza. The 38-year-old had Rogan in hysterics as he trolled his way through the opening moments of round two.
‘MVP’ scored another heavy knockdown, but Cannonier was once again able to get back to his feet and initiate a grappling exchange against the fence.
Page was made to pay for being too comfortable at the start of round three. Cannonier mounted him after a Superman punch attempt went badly wrong.
The 41-year-old threatened with submissions for most of the final round. With a minute to go, he switched to ground and pound as he hunted for a comeback KO.
Page survived to score a unanimous decision (29-28 X3) victory, courtesy of the cageside judges.
“I wanted to push a little bit more in the third round,” he told Joe Rogan post-fight.
“I made a silly mistake. Bloody hell, he is strong on top.”
Michael Page is the biggest puzzle in MMA Joe Rogan labelled Michael Page the ‘biggest puzzle in MMA’ ahead of his fight at UFC 319.
“You have Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who is the biggest puzzle in the entire sport,” he said.
“That guy, good luck training for that guy! Just good luck. Super tall welterweight who moves like nobody. World point-fighting champion, that is a totally different thing that point-fighting thing. Super creative, and he also knows how to wrestle now, knows Jiu-Jitsu now, so now he’s a Mixed Martial Arts fighter and has this one skill set that is crazy unique
“Kevin Holland was like ‘Where the f— is he? I can’t find him!’. It’s the difference between someone who is standing in front of people and knocking sticks, and an elite fencer.”
Page responded to the praise by calling Rogan ‘smart’ during Wednesday’s UFC 319 Media Day.
“I’ve always thought Joe Rogan is a really smart guy,” the English fan favorite said.
“It’s a puzzle because there aren’t many people that come from my style of background within MMA.
“Finding training partners [to prepare for me] is next to impossible. The closest person you’re going to find is [Stephen] ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.”
