Considering the amount of pressure Michael “Venom” Page was under coming into UFC 299, he looked extremely comfortable and loose throughout his dominant decision win over Kevin Holland. But according to “MVP,” things weren’t flowing the way he wanted during the bout.
“When I got in there, I didn’t feel quite myself,” Page said in an ESPN interview with Megan Olivi. “I’m not sure exactly what it was, but I didn’t feel myself. Not taking anything away from Kevin; he’s an unbelievable opponent. I actually really enjoyed sharing the cage with him, but I wasn’t quite myself.
“I didn’t feel like he was challenging by way of anything that he did specifically towards me [on the] technical side, he’s just tough as hell,” he added. “I landed some really good shots, rocked him, wobbled him a few times, but he was just still there and I could see he was still there. In terms of styles, it just suited me very well, I just could have done so much more.
“I don’t know what it was, I had a slight hesitation in myself for whatever reason. I’m going to analyze it and get back to you. A lot of shots I was landing, there was a few times I could have followed up on those shots. That probably would have gotten him from wobbly to rocked, and really finished it. Like being able to be a bit closer to that finishing position. Slight hesitation, but we go back and work on it.”
Page had spent the past decade in Bellator where he has faced endless accusations of being a flashy can-crusher. Now that he’s won his UFC debut against No. 13 ranked Holland, there’s a good chance he’ll show up in the welterweight top 15 come Monday morning.
As “MVP” admitted, Holland’s style matched up well, and there’s some wrestling-heavy contenders that will undoubtedly give him fits down the line. But there are just as many exciting match-ups against other top contenders on the horizon — and a chance for him to silence his doubters for good.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
