Colby Covington wasn’t impressed with Michael Page’s UFC debut and believes that ‘Venom’ would be a walk in the park if the UFC matches them up.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page dazzled as advertised during his UFC debut at UFC 299. The 36-year-old Londoner outpointed Kevin Holland to win the fight via unanimous decision. But according to former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, Page was far from being venomous.
Chaos thinks Page is all hype and the UFC gave him an easy assignment in Holland to make him look good in his first UFC bout.
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“The guy is trash, he’s a bum. Look at his last fight before [Kevin Holland]. He got beat by a guy who fights in Indian casinos. He got beat by Mike Perry. We saw how the Mike Perry experience ended up in the UFC, got his nose crooked, smashed, and knocked out three or four times in a row.” said Covington during an interview with Submission Radio.
“So, it just shows the kids is just hype. They’re trying to hype him up. They’re giving him a guy in Kevin Holland, who is a complete scrub, a 50/50 fighter at best in the division and that’s all you could do? That pathetic fight and that pathetic walkout?”
“Like, that wasn’t entertaining. No, it doesn’t work. It only works when you’re good, and you’re at the top of the division. Not when you’re fighting scrubs that shouldn’t even be fighting in the UFC in the first place. So I didn’t make anything of it. I just saw another easy money paycheck if the UFC ever wants to give me that in the future.”
Page showcased the elite striking skills he is famous for, frustrating Holland on the feet with lightning-quick movement and stealth strikes. MVP and TrailBlazer were separated by only one significant strike attempted but Venom outlander Holland 41-29 to win the fight on points. After the fight, Venom hinted that he wants a shot at fellow British fighter Leon Edwards, who currently holds the UFC gold.
“I think what Leon Edwards has done, his journey is unbelievable. But that, married with my style, my charisma and the energy I can bring, the goal is to sell out a stadium somewhere in the UK – that would be a memorable occasion.”
But that might be wishful thinking for MVP as although he has vaulted to #13 in the latest UFC welterweight rankings, there is a long list of contenders waiting to get their shot at Rocky. A fight with Colby Covington however, could fast-track that. Colby is currently No.4 in the welterweight division, and if Page beats him, there will only be three more men ahead in the rankings.
Covington unsuccessfully fought Edwards at UFC 296 last December, losing via unanimous decision. Neither Edwards nor Covington has a fight booked yet. The same goes with Page. MVP has yet to respond to Colby’s claim but if wants a shot at the gold, he might want to poke Colby back to get a fight with him.