Michael Jordan was the best to ever do it on the basketball court. But if you ask Michael ‘Venom’ Page, MJ would have also had a successful UFC career.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page was asked which NBA player, past or present, would have been successful in MMA. The British welterweight fighter paused and weighed up his options as there are many similar traits shared between MMA fighters and basketball players, but ultimately landed on the Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, owing to the NBA GOAT’s unique preparation.
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“I’m gonna say Michael Jordan because obviously, just even going over his career and stuff, and hearing about, especially the documentary,” Page revealed.
“Hearing that, he creates his own scenarios that don’t have to be real in order to get himself in a certain state. And yeah, that’s an interesting trait to have. And I think in this, you’ve got to be kind of evil as well. So if the fact that he can create a story up in his head and use that as fuel, yeah, I think he’d be a beast in MMA.”
Jordan is considered by many as the GOAT or the greatest of all time in basketball. His Airness led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during eight years from 1991 to 1998. He also won five MVP awards, and six Finals MVPs, and was a 10-time NBA scoring champion among others.
But while it was without doubt that Jordan had otherworldly athleticism and supreme basketball skills, one of the intangibles that Mike possessed was his ability to visualize events before they happened.
Jordan’s imagination fueled his confidence. He prepared himself for the big moments by imagining taking free throws at the end of the game or hitting game-winners over his defenders.
‘’I visualised where I wanted to be, what kind of player I wanted to become. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there.”
Michael Jordan
While MMA is a physical sport, fighters need that mental edge not only in preparing for the bouts but also in adjusting the game plan when the fight doesn’t go their way. Page is one of the most exciting strikers in MMA but he is also a cerebral fighter who knows how to get himself out of trick situations.