Scott Coker wants Michael 'Venom' Page more active in MMA, expects April or May return

It’s been more than 14 months since unbeaten welterweight Michael Page entered the cage for an MMA fight. According to Bellator President Scott Coker, that’s far too long.

Page (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) last fought at Bellator 165 in November 2016, where he earned a split-decision win over Fernanda Gonzalez. He’s kept himself relevant through an ongoing feud with Paul Daley, and he also competed in an October boxing match, which he easily won by third-round TKO.

The flashy style of “Venom” has been noticeably absent from the Bellator cage. Coker said that’s going to change soon, though, and he expects Page to have his next Bellator fight in the first quarter of this year.

“We’re expecting Michael to come back sometime in March or April,” Coker told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at Thursday’s Bellator 192 pre-fight news conference. “I think we’re scheduling right now. Either he’ll be fighting in the U.K. for us, or he might fight on the show in San Jose in May. I’d say April, May we’re going to have him back.”

After much lost time, Coker said it’s a priority to keep 30-year-old Page busy this year. He said the Brit is free to do more boxing in the future if that compels him, but Coker feels MMA needs to be first and foremost, and as long as Page can keep himself free of injury, the Bellator boss expects a big 2018 campaign from one of his most exciting fighters.

“We’re going to keep him busy,” Coker said. “I know he wants to box, which is fine for me. I have no problem with that, but he’s got to pick up his MMA fights because we’ve got to keep that guy busy. The guy is a big star, and he’s extremely talented, and I’d just like to see him fight in the cage more.”

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