Bellator 144's Michael 'Venom' Page getting used to opponents dropping out

Michael Page

This might be the first time Michael Page opponents dropped in out Bellator, but he’s nowhere near being new to the experience.

The unorthodox striker told MMAjunkie, “In the U.K., I’ve had that before. In the last week I had changes. But in America, it’s the first time.

“It’s a frustrating feeling to have someone in mind that you’re ready to go and fight and then not have that person for whatever reason.”

Four opponents apparently agreed to fight Page (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) at Bellator 144, which takes place Oct. 23 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., before dropping off for various reasons. Only this week did the promotion finalize one, Legacy FC vet Charlie Ontiveros (6-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who will face Page on the event’s Spike TV main card.

It’s impossible to know definitively whether Bellator welterweights are avoiding Page, though, from his previous work, it’s easy to see why they might. The Brit has sliced through his opposition since signing with the Viacom-backed promotion this past year, beating three opponents including UFC vet Nah-Shon Burrell.

For Page, the line of dropouts puts him in a tough position. It brings unknown and potentially dangerous fights. It makes it tougher for him to game plan. And ultimately, when it comes to his career, it makes it harder for him to build the kind of momentum that leads to greater recognition from fans, even though the promotion is quite clearly grooming him for big things.

One of his rumored opponents for Bellator 144 was Marius Zaromskis, a guy who once generated a significant amount of buzz for his head-kick knockouts in the now-defunct DREAM, where he won the welterweight title.

Although Zaromskis flagged when he signed with Bellator and fought top competition, he would have been a great test for Page, who’s largely avoided opponents with high-level MMA experience.

Many will write off Page and his wild, unpredictable style as a novelty act until he faces guys who’ve been around the proverbial block and are well-rounded enough to give him a fight in every range.

It’s not entirely Page’s fault that opponents struggle to sign on the dotted line. But it’s his job to wait until they do. That can be frustrating, but it can also build a better fighter.

For one, it forces him to watch more tape and study his opponents more thoroughly. When he watches them, he’s not looking at the same thing other fighters are.

“A lot of people try to look at what’s bad about them,” he said. “I like to look at what’s good about them, because you know they’re going to resort back to that thing. You’ve got to come up with answers, and in a shorter space of time, you’ve got to come up with very quick answers.”

Of course, it also works the other way, too. Those tasked to knock Page off his path to a title shot will seek the path of least resistance, which appears to be wrestling. To that, Page can only say they haven’t seen the full extent of his abilities. Maybe everyone else hasn’t because he’s been so successful with his primary skill set.

“I’m lucky in the fact that my style is so unseen that people spend more time in the cage trying to figure me out than I do them,” he said.

Page scouts his upcoming opponent, Ontiveros, as a guy that, at least by appearances, doesn’t seem to far from him. Ontiveros, he said, possesses a karate-inflected style he’s seen while competing in point-fighting tournaments.

“But even the way he uses his karate style is, even for me, very unorthodox,” he chuckles.

So Page might have some figuring out to do on his own when he steps into the cage at Bellator 144. But with all he’s been through, he’s getting used to that feeling.

For more on Bellator 144, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.