Robert Whittaker has a great deal of respect for Michael “Venom” Page. But that doesn’t mean he has to enjoy his fights.
That’s the sentiment likely shared by a number of MMA fans, who watched Page earn an uneventful decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev this past Saturday at UFC Paris. Page improved to 5-1 in the UFC, though his future remains murky having now fought out his contract. Afterwards, Page responded to criticism of his performance, vowing to “do better” in the future.
On his MMArcade Podcast,
Whittaker admitted watching Page fight is a struggle.
“I’m going to be honest with you, no,” Whittaker said when asked to discuss Page’s UFC Paris win. “No, I can’t, because I didn’t even want to watch it, and I have nothing but respect for ‘MVP.’ His ability to do what he does at his age is crazy. It’s like he’s dancing in there. He’s so fast and fluid, but I find it so hard to tune in live to MVP winning via points, rather than watching it back afterwards.
“I reckon there isn’t a single person that can beat MVP over point-sparring in the UFC. He’s so good at it.”
Should Page depart the UFC, it will be on the back of a four-fight win streak, including nods over Ruziboev and one-time middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. The 39-year-old is also the only fighter to defeat Shara Bullet.
However, much of Page’s accomplishments have been overshadowed by a lack of memorable moments in his UFC fights, which Whittaker attributes to the Englishman’s calculating style.
“You now how I feel about it?” Whittaker said. “I feel like it’s almost like he has a live feed of the judges’ scorecards, like, in real time. As soon as it starts to drop, he just does a little bit more, and it goes back up. He just does enough, which is the game, right? But man, it makes it hard to watch fights back when he’s doing that.”
Wherever Page goes next, he will present a challenge not just for future opponents but for promoters looking to build off of his name. Page became a star during his time with Bellator, compiling a sizable list of viral knockouts against overmatched competition, but has failed to recapture that spark in recent years.
Like it or not, Whittaker understands why Page fights the way he fights.
“He definitely is a puzzle for a lot of fighters,” Whittaker said. “He’s not fun to fight for anyone. I don’t know, because as a fighter, and knowing that you get paid more if you win, it’s that tricky balance. Because also, he could go out next fight, listen to our comments, and go out there and just start throwing hands, get starched, cut, and that’s it.
“That’s the reality. That could very well happen, especially after he has kind of just point-won every fight.”
