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Michael ‘Venom’ Page | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Michael “Venom” Page had even grander plans for his UFC debut.
On Saturday, Page made his long-awaited UFC debut, winning a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland in the featured main card bout at UFC 299. And true to form, Page got the show started before he even began fight with a walkout straight from the WWE’s Undertaker. But apparently he had even bigger plans that the UFC ultimately shot down.
“I had a big plan [laughs],” Page told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I’m such a creative mind and I just can’t turn that side of me off. So when I envision the fight day, it’s not just my opponent and how I’m going to beat my opponent … it’s from the walkout to how I leave. So I had an idea, me and my family got together, we’re talking about it, we’ve got the track made, we’re going over it, okay, let me present it to the UFC now.
“They took a little bit of time. I don’t know what they’re process is but it took a little bit of time to get back to me and then it was like, no, we can’t do that. And they actually said no to the track as well, initially. We kept pushing back, pushing back, managed to get the track cleared which was great. Then I was like, OK, I’m going to have to do everything myself.
“For me, it still worked out and I still really enjoyed the walkout, but genuinely, if I was able to do what I wanted to do, it would have been the best walkout that anybody has seen in the UFC.”
Page then gave a detailed account of what his grand vision was, revealing that since it didn’t happen at UFC 299, he’ll move on to a different idea next time.
“Initially, it’s Undertaker’s track that comes in and then it starts to drop, the intro into the remix track that my brother-in-law has made, and we start to kind of cook in that area. What happens initially is the lights go dar, everybody is looking at the tunnel, waiting for me to walkout. The spotlight was going to go onto the cage, and I was going to be in the cage!
“So everyone is going to be like, ‘wait, what?’ I’m there in a hood and uniform, I do my sign just as the tune really drops, I do my sign and when it drops, the lights cut again and come back on and I’m in the same position back at the tunnel. So everyone is like, ‘Wait, what?’”
“What it was, my brother was going to be the one in the cage and have the hood on. Anytime I lose weight, me and him look so similar. He’s got hair, but because’s got the hood on, you can’t tell. Stature-wise, he looks exactly like me. At the time, people would have been like, ‘What just happened?!’ They would have been blown away by that and then I would have come with the same energy entrance and walk in. But definitely I think people would have been blown away by that.”
During his time in Bellator, Page became well-known for his flamboyant walkouts, flashy fighting style and entertaining antics, like the time he broke Cyborg Santos’ skull and then threw a PokeBall at him. But unlike Bellator, the UFC has traditionally limited creative freedom from its fighters, and so Page knows he may have to earn a little more trust with regards to some of his big ideas.
“I get it,” Page said. “I’m going to keep trying, I’m going to keep pushing, keep pushing. I’m going to keep coming up with creativity. I just can’t turn that side off of me and I love to entertain. Regardless, I’m going to keep pushing. I’m probably going to annoy a few people but hopefully they understand what I’m trying to do for everybody. … Undertaker himself Tweeted about it, and that was on half the performance. If he saw [what I wanted] it would have been even bigger.
“There’s so much going on. I don’t over-press. I just try to see what more I can get out of it, and as soon as I understand the tools that are in front of me, I make it work. There’s not need for me to stress about it. It’s just an idea that I had. We couldn’t make it happen this time. I’m going to make another idea happen next time. Hopefully they’re going to slowly see, give this guy a little bit more freedom because he’s on point with this kind of stuff. … They have to understand and get used to me the same way I have to understand and get used to them.”
The most important person for Page to convince is UFC CEO Dana White. White makes no secret of disliking big displays for walkouts, even commenting unfavorably after UFC 299 on Page and Michel Pereira’s entrances (Pereira danced his way to the cage). But Page believes that he’ll win White over, so long as he wins inside the octagon.
“He seems like he’s against it,” Page said. “This is something I always suspected. Anytime I thought of myself in the UFC I thought, ‘I may piss him off a little bit.’ [Laughs] But I think, at the end of the day, if I do what I do in the cage, on the other side he will allow even for things that annoy him to exist, in my opinion. So I’ve just got to keep making sure I put on good performances. It’s almost like paying the meter. Those KOs and flashy, attractive wins is putting in the meter and hopefully I get some credit on the other side.”
And in a perfect world, some of that credit will come back to Page sooner rather than later, as, given the choice, “MVP” would like to do something special for the much talked about UFC event in The Sphere, UFC 306 which is set for Sep. 14 in Las Vegas.
“I’m really eager to fight in places I haven’t before. Well, one place: Vegas in The Sphere,” Page said. “My creative mind is going crazy. … I already know, creatively, what I can do. Walkout, this and that, and I guess it would probably be a bit more intimate because that’s part of the package of going into The Sphere and fighting. So my mind is already going about what I can do there.”
Dustin Poirier wants to be an undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion before he calls it a career.
UFC 299 was yet another memorable night in the always-entertaining career of the elite Lightweight veteran, Poirier. Tasked with surging French contender, Benoit Saint Denis, Poirier walked through the fire and came out on top via a vintage second round knockout (watch highlights) this past weekend (March 9, 2024).
The win got Poirier back in the win column after a tough second round knockout loss of his own against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 in July 2023 (watch highlights). Despite it only being a one-fight winning “streak,” Poirier has caught the attention of the Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, for a potential collision in June 2024.
“I do think it could happen,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “I really believed that I was one big win away. One good finish. It doesn’t matter the opponent. I just need to look good. Just with my career in the UFC and how many times I’ve beaten top guys and stuff, I always feel like I’m one big win away from it at any time in my career — at least the last few years.
“I didn’t take any damage in this fight,” he continued. “Yeah, I’d be okay with June. I actually went into this fight with a couple injuries from camp. My ribs — f—king [Mateusz] Gamrot f—ked busted my ribs up like, almost three weeks ago, and it’s been bothering me really bad ever since.
“No, [June wouldn’t be a problem],” Poirier concluded.
A title fight next would be Poirier’s third crack at undisputed gold after failed bids opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in September 2019 and December 2021. Timing could ultimately line up perfectly for Poirier to get his shot as Makhachev wants to defend sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, the other top contenders at 155 pounds will be sorted at UFC 300 with Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan next month (Sat., April 13, 2024).
For complete UFC 299 results and play-by-play, click HERE.
The Professional Fighters League announced Monday the full cards for the first three events of its 2024 season, and the events include several talents absorbed from the Bellator roster.
Eight athletes who’ve held Bellator belts – both undisputed and interim – are set to debut inside the PFL cage in April: Valentin Moldavsky, Liz Carmouche, Juliana Velasquez, Phil Davis, Brent Primus, Patricky Pitbull, Andrey Koreshkov and Logan Storley.
The first card takes place in San Antonio, Texas, and it’s headlined by former Bellator interim light heavyweight titleholder Valentin Moldavsky taking on 2022 PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija. The card also includes a trilogy match between former Bellator flyweight queens Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez.
Taila Santos, who came close to shocking Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight championship in the past, is set to make her PFL debut in the undercard versus Denise Kielholtz.
Check the full card below.
PFL San Antonio – April 4
Main card
Ante Delija vs. Valentin Moldavsky Denis Goltsov vs. Linton Vassell Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez Tyrell Fortune vs. Daniel James
Preliminary Card
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Lisa Mauldin Bruno Cappelozza vs. Sergei Bilostenniy Taila Santos vs. Denise Kielholtz Steve Mowry vs. Oleg Popov Kana Watanabe vs. Shanna Young Chelsea Hackett vs. Jena Bishop Lucas Brennan vs. Dimitre Ivy
PFL travels to Las Vegas the following week for a show at The Theater at Virgin Hotels, and the main event features ex-Bellator titleholder Phil Davis facing off with Robert Wilkinson. PFL 2023 champion Impa Kasanganay meets Alex Polizzi in the co-main event. The main card also features Patricky Pitbull taking on Clay Collard, plus the return of one-time PFL champion Antonio Carlos Junior.
Brent Primus, a former Bellator lightweight champion, makes his PFL debut in the undercard opposite Bruno miranda. The full lineup can be seen below.
PFL Las Vegas – April 12
Main card
Phil Davis vs. Robert Wilkinson Impa Kasanganay vs. Alex Polizzi Clay Collard vs. Patricky Pitbull Mads Burnel vs. Michael Dufort Sadibou Sy vs. Josh Silveira Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Simon Biyong
Preliminary Card
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov vs. Jakob Nedoh Bruno Miranda vs. Brent Primus Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Solomon Renfro Jay Jay Wilson vs. Adam Piccolotti Marcelo Nunes vs. Giacomo Lemos
The third show of April features the kickoff of the welterweight and featherweight seasons in Chicago on April 19. The event is highlighted by the debut of ex-Bellator champion Andrey Koreshkov battling Magomed Umalatov in the headliner. Logan Storley, who has also held the Bellator welterweight title in the past, meets undefeated Shamil Musaev.
PFL Chicago – April 19
Main card
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Magomed Umalatov Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho Logan Storley vs. Shamil Musaev Gabriel Braga vs. Justin Gonzalez Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie Bubba Jenkins vs. Kai Kamaka
Preliminary Card
Adam Borics vs. Enrique Barzola Timur Khizriev vs. Brett Johns Laureano Staropoli vs. Murad Ramazanov Don Madge vs. Kyle Crutchmer
Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko come face-to-face ahead of the Ultimate Fighter 32 showdown.
Last weekend the UFC announced that Grasso and Shevchenko would be coaching against one another on Season 32 of TUF, which is set to begin airing at the beginning of June. Grasso snapped Shevchenko’s legendary flyweight title reign last March after submitting ‘Bullet’ in the fourth round of their UFC 285 clash. The pair would rematch six months later which resulted in a draw, leaving their rivalry without a solid conclusion. The pair are set to fight following the conclusion of the show, but no official date has been outlined.
With the announcement UFC CEO Dana White described the pair as ‘two of the most badass women on the planet’.
“We have just confirmed the coaches for season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, and it will be UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and former champion Valentina Shevchenko,” White said. “I don’t have to tell you, but these are two of the most badass women on the planet and this should be a very fun season,”
OFICIAL: Dana White anunció a Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko en la temporada 32 de The Ultimate Fighter. Obviamente, el plan es que se enfrenten al terminar la transmisión en #UFC306.@ESPNDeportes pic.twitter.com/72CAWl7ySU
— Carlos Contreras Legaspi (@CCLegaspi) March 8, 2024
“[Alexa] Grasso became the first Mexican UFC women’s champ after defeating [Valentina] Shevchenko and their last fight resulted in a draw. Before their last two fights, Valentina had successfully defended the belt seven times.”
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC
What is going to be on the TUF 32: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenkoseason?
Along with the coaches the UFC announced the cast of the upcoming season and it will feature eight fighters from both featherweight and middleweight. There is talent from North and South America such as Edwin Cooper Jr, Guillermo Torres and Mairon Santos
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC
It will also feature a significant amount of European-based talents such as Nathan Fletcher, Omran Chaaban and Paddy McCorry.
The window for the UFC to ink a new broadcast rights deal officially opens in January 2025, but talks about the next contract start even sooner.
ESPN currently owns the rights to all UFC content, including pay-per-view broadcasts, after signing a seven-year deal with the promotion following a stint on FOX. The partnership between the UFC and ESPN has been lucrative for both sides, especially for the growth of ESPN+ as the streaming service has grown exponentially since becoming the primary home for the MMA organization.
That said, TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro recently revealed that multiple bidders have already inquired about retaining the broadcast fights for the UFC once negotiations begin later this year.
“It is our preference to stay at Disney, because of this history,” Shapiro said at the Morgan Stanley Tech, Media and Telecom conference. “But we’ve had impromptu three different platforms inquire about that window that you’re talking about and when we might be able to sit down with them to discuss moving to a different platform, which we will do if we can’t get the right deal.
“But the window opens in January. There’s no reason we can’t start talking about it earlier.”
It’s impossible to know which three platforms that Shapiro is referencing, though a number of streaming outlets have gotten more involved in live sports programming in recent years. Amazon’s Prime Video, for example, paid $ 1 billion per year to obtain the exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday night football schedule. Apple shelled out $ 250 million per season to bring Major League Soccer to the platform.
Netflix, which has traditionally stayed away from live sports programming, has even reversed course with the upcoming Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match, not to mention a massive $ 5 billion deal to bring WWE’s flagship series Monday Night Raw to the streaming service for the next decade.
Shapiro never referenced Netflix by name when discussing the UFC, but he did talk about the network expanding into more live event programming after signing the deal with WWE.
“This is a landmark deal,” Shapiro said about WWE’s contract with Netflix. “This is an industry changing deal. This is a transformative deal. It’s Netflix. [Netflix always said], ‘We’re not going to get into live sports,’ and even though WWE is quasi-live sports, ‘We’re not going to get into it,’ and everybody was waiting on when the code would be cracked, and we cracked the code.
“It’s $ 5 billion over 10 years, and it’s highly visible revenue. It’s high-margin revenue. It’s locked in. It’s recurring. We’ve de-risked the whole merger with that alone. Netflix itself has got unbelievable reach and scale globally, it’s a global deal. They’re a marketing powerhouse. People forget that.”
With Netflix dabbling in combat sports for the upcoming fight with Paul and Tyson, it’s entirely possible that the UFC could be next on the wishlist.
Still, Shapiro says that the UFC’s relationship remains strong at ESPN, especially given the way that the two brands have found real synergy since first partnering.
“ESPN and Disney are the greatest partners you could ever have,” Shapiro said. “If we can replicate that at Netflix [with WWE], we’re going to be golden. They get the sport. They’re fans of the sport. It was Bob Iger, frankly, that saw the vision. It was his decision to go bite off all the UFC, including the pay-per-views, but [ESPN chairman] Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus and [Rosalyn] Durant, who now runs programming, are huge fans of the UFC and they support it in every way.
“So social, SportsCenter coverage, short-form content, long-form content, and they work with us on scheduling about trying to get us the best windows. They want more UFC, not less. By the way, they have a pretty crowded sheet of programming. Their schedule, their calendar is nip and tuck. What I would tell you is we love the marketing strength.”
Shapiro acknowledges that ESPN hasa lot on its plate in the coming months as the NBA also seeks out a new broadcast rights deal that is expected to dwarf a previous contract that was split across numerous media partners. That could impact the UFC, depending on who ends up landing the NBA and where another outlet may suddenly need more content.
“We’re curious what happens with the NBA,” Shapiro said. “That will have an impact on us. Are they getting more content? Are they getting less content?”
“I’m anxious to see where this all goes. ESPN flagship, what happens at ESPN+, obviously the cable bundle is completely imploding, ABC’s kind of had a little resurgence right now. So we’re going to work with them behind the scenes to figure out what the next chapter of our partnership looks like.”
(@CCLegaspi) March 8, 2024
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