Michael Page is thrilled to have an opponent who’s nearly as good at hyping fights as he’s.
Within the lead-up to his co-main occasion bout with Shara Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Web page informed Michael Bisping on a podcast that Magomedov will be “bloodied up” of their combat. “Shara Bullet” lived as much as his identify when he later responded with a video of him wielding a shotgun over a fallen and bloody corpse.
Magomedov’s response might need shocked some at first look, however “MVP” was an enormous fan of the clip.
“I cherished it,” Web page mentioned in an interview with MMA Combating’s Mike Heck. “For me, I really like that sort of stuff. I favor that sort of banter as a result of that’s me as properly. I favor that sort of banter and back-and-forth then a number of the stuff that you simply see, a number of these different fighters getting private and disrespectful. That is very lighthearted, pleasant, as a result of he’s responding to stuff.”
If anybody can recognize the effectiveness of an excellent gimmick, it’s Web page. Throughout his rise to stardom in Bellator, Web page turned identified not only for his highlight-reel knockouts, however his memorable post-fight antics, which included his Pokemon homage following a brutal flying knee KO of Evangelista Santos, and Web page breaking out the Infinity Gauntlet after a win at Bellator 200.
As a lot as Web page respects Magomedov’s social media savvy, although, he’ll be much more respectful of his opponent’s abilities on combat night time. Magomedov is coming off of one in every of 2024’s finest knockouts, a double spinning backfist of Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308.
“Distinctive,” Web page mentioned when requested to explain Magomedov’s UFC run thus far. “Particularly that final double spinning backfist KO. When you see a few of his different clips when he was within the kickboxing, you may inform that’s one thing that he has been doing or has executed earlier than or likes to throw. So it’s not prefer it was only a random factor.
“I feel he’s tremendous proficient and even when I’m going in there and do what I do know I can do, I feel he’s nonetheless set to have an thrilling profession. He simply must proceed on the trail that he’s on and simply maintain creating and rising. Typically a loss can assist with that. Typically that one loss could make you readjust a number of issues and self-reflect and push ahead even stronger.”
Web page is transferring as much as middleweight for this contest, although he doesn’t plan to stay round within the division. Nevertheless, he is aware of a win over the undefeated Magomedov will elevate his inventory no matter what weight class he’s competing in.
And a win is what he expects to see within the headlines on Saturday night time.
“I assume it’s shock or ‘MVP is that man,’” Web page mentioned. “I really feel like for some cause there’s all the time a query mark over me. If I do one factor right, individuals are nonetheless like, ‘Yeah however possibly about this, possibly about that.’ I feel this can be a good combat, particularly as a result of I’m transferring up. There’s so many issues that technically work towards me. He’s an undefeated fighter transferring up in weight. He’s bought that boogeyman kind of power.
“After I go on the market and land that knockout, there’s an enormous stamp of approval from everyone. There’s not one particular person that may say the rest once more.”
