Frustrated with the career development of Bellator's Michael Page? Well he is, too

Michael Page’s career hasn’t exactly gone the way he or his devoted followers had hoped after more than four years in the game.

Long layoffs, injuries and a lack of real competition have seemingly kept Page’s career in neutral for longer than it should have for an athlete with his charisma, talent and fan base.

Page (9-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) hopes to kick things into a new gear at Bellator 153 on April 22 when he takes on Jeremie Holloway (7-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in a welterweight bout at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card, including Page’s bout, airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The key to making that happen, however, comes down to staying healthy.

“I actually wish I had fought more,” Page told MMAjunkie. “I feel like I should be in double figures already for fights. Things happen for a reason, and it’s hard to complete change your training to be careful for injuries. You fight well because of the type of training you do. It’s very difficult. I get regular treatment, and I get checked out as much as possible so that I’m aware of things that are going on.”

At 29, Page is learning the sensitivity of his body if not training wisely. He must be much more diligent with his preparation and recovery, and he said over time, he’s learned the best ways to take care of himself. There was a period of trail and error, but Page said he finally has the correct recipe.

“As a fighter you tend to ignore stuff; you feel pain in a certain area, and you just decide to avoid it or not get it checked out, and you fight through it,” he said. “It is important to have somebody pay attention to those things and actually go and get things checked out. Even down to the rehab, as well, it helps out. The rehab training can be very tedious and boring, but it’s important that you do it because it will help strengthen the areas that need tweaking”

Page matchup with Holloway is yet another that underwhelms for those hoping to see “Venom” truly tested inside the cage. Despite the fact Holloway suffered a second-round submission loss to Matt Secor in his promotional debut at Bellator 144 in February, matchmakers opted to book him against an undefeated and rising sensation like Page.

The booking is somewhat puzzling, especially with Page’s last victory being a first-round knockout of Charlie Ontiveros on the same Bellator 144 card, but it’s also in tune with the way in which Page’s career has been managed from the outset. It’s far from the test fans clamored for, but Page said he must take Holloway seriously.

“Regardless of his status in Bellator, because he’s new, you can’t underestimate these guys, and I feel a lot of people do on the outside,” Page said. “If I had done the same thing, I probably would have lost one of these fights already. I’m going to take everybody seriously. I respect all MMA fighters, and it’s going to be one of those things where I make sure I get the job done.”

Page had the fight that would have likely answered many unknown questions when he was booked against Fernando Gonzalez at Bellator 151 in March. Less than a month out from the fight, however, Page experienced another training injury and was forced to withdraw from the bout.

The Brit said he wanted Bellator officials to book the matchup again for Bellator 153, but they instead opted to go a different direction with Holloway. A fight with someone like Fernandez is seemingly overdue, but Page preached patience and said it will all come in time.

“People considered him a big step in competition, so it would have been exciting to fight, but the thing is these people are not going anywhere,” Page said. “He’s still doing well, and at the moment I’m doing well. These are the kind of people I will bump back into. Those kind of fights will come back around, and people will see it.”

For all the frustration, Page knows he can only be kept at a certain level for so long. He’s just as interested in finding out where he stands among Bellator’s best as everyone else is, and while he said he’s ready for that type of challenge immediately, he isn’t going to force anything.

Page has no plans to retire in the near future, and with the hope of ushering in an injury-free run, “MVP” said it won’t be long before he’s fighting the most reputable names at 170 pounds.

“Any doubts in people’s heads will get answered,” Page said. “I just got to keep doing what I’m doing and keep training the way I’m training, and I will keep getting the results the way I’ve been getting the results.

“Once this one is out of the way it’s onward and upward, bigger and bigger names. I just want to fight more regularly and stay in shape.”

For more on Bellator 153, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.