Fighting In Ufc Is Biggest Weight I've Ever Felt - Mvp

Michael 'Venom' Page says nan unit and anticipation that comes pinch fighting successful nan UFC is dissimilar thing other he has ever felt successful his career.

London's Page - nicknamed MVP - signed pinch nan UFC successful 2023 aft 9 years pinch Bellator, wherever he built a estimation arsenic 1 of nan promotion's astir vulnerable and breathtaking fighters.

The 38-year-old won 16 of 18 fights successful Bellator pinch a number of highlight-reel knockouts.

Despite triumphing successful 2 of his 3 bouts since joining nan UFC, Page says nan move has "carried a weight".

"Usually I spell successful location and I'm comfortable to conflict but I've realised UFC carries a monolithic weight because of its reputation, its history and nan credibility you transportation from winning these fights," said Page.

"It's nan biggest weight I've felt from immoderate organisation."

Since Bellator was acquired by nan PFL successful 2023, Page is 1 of a number of fighters who near to proceed their careers successful nan UFC.

Page's move has mostly been a occurrence but nan different athletes person struggled.

Former Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio Pitbull has looked unconvincing, signaling 1 triumph and 1 defeat.

Ex-Bellator bantamweight title holder Patchy Mix, meanwhile, was outclassed by Mario Bautista connected his UFC debut successful June.

In nan co-main arena astatine UFC 319 successful Chicago, Illinois connected Saturday, Britain's Lerone Murphy faces Aaron Pico - different erstwhile Bellator combatant - successful a featherweight contest.

Page, who faces American middleweight Jared Cannonier connected nan undercard, says he empathises pinch nan erstwhile Bellator athletes who person struggled.

"I'm starting to spot it much and much that nan Bellator fighters are not performing nan measurement I cognize they can," said Page.

"Pitbull has had a mates of fights and he hasn't looked for illustration nan Pitbull I've seen successful Bellator - he was unbelievable.

"I consciousness for illustration nan magnitude and weight they're carrying isn't allowing them to execute nan measurement they could perform."

The conflict pinch 41-year-old Cannonier represents Page's 2nd successive bout astatine middleweight aft he ended Magomedov's undefeated reign successful February.

After spending nan mostly of his 13-year profession astatine welterweight, Page says he has chosen to move up because he was struggling to unafraid fights successful nan little weight class.

"Nobody astatine welterweight seems to for illustration action - it's a slow division," said Page.

"I deliberation there's a batch of group successful nan second shape of their careers, truthful for them each conflict intends thing a spot more.

"They don't want to return a risky fight, and I consciousness I correspond a batch of consequence because of nan style I bring."

Page's only title conflict during his profession was against American Logan Storley for nan interim welterweight loop successful 2022, wherever he suffered a divided determination defeat.

Page says competing successful fights that "turn heads" is his main extremity during nan twilight of his career, but he has not fixed up connected becoming a world champion.

The middleweight loop will beryllium connected nan statement successful nan main arena astatine Chicago's United Centre arsenic South African champion Dricus du Plessis faces Russia's Khamzat Chimaev.

"With personification truthful knowledgeable and dangerous, I can't look past Jared," said Cannonier.

"But my extremity is to get a title conflict successful my past run. For maine I consciousness for illustration this is my past thigh successful MMA, and I want to discontinue from MMA earlier MMA retires me," said Page.

"I'm doing a batch of activity successful nan inheritance to group up nan adjacent shape of my life, truthful for now it's astir getting large fights and pushing towards nan title."