The fighter known as “MVP” will return to the Bellator cage on Friday night as Michael Page will look to remain undefeated and continue his rise up the Bellator welterweight rankings when he meets Rudy Bears.
Page (7-0) was last seen in the Bellator cage back in October of last year when he defeated Nah-Shon Burrell by unanimous decision. He was scheduled to return in February, but he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a cut.
He recently told The MMA Report that he was thankful that his coaches convinced him to pull out of the bout due to the cut and is excited to be returning to action on Friday night.
“Well I will tell you one thing, I am way more hungry and way more determined to put on a better show than the fight I was supposed to be on,” Page said. “This training camp for me has been the best for me. I have learned so much more and I have had more time to become an even more dangerous fighter. Just expect to see that.”
His opponent on Friday night will be returning to Bellator for the first time since 2012, which was a defeat against Paul Daley. Bears (16-13) enters this fight with two straight victories and is coming off a submission win against Josh Weston.
“He is a dangerous fighter because a person that has that much of experience,” Page said about Bears. “Anybody that has that kind of experience in the cage, you have to be careful because they are they kind of people that if you do make a mistake — even if you are dominating in the fight. If you make one mistake, those are the kind of people that will notice it pretty quick and capitalize on it. He has been through all of it. Wars, knockouts, submissions. He knows exactly what to expect and he is ready.”
When Page and Bears step into the cage on Friday, Page will likely be a huge betting favorite and nearly everyone will expect to see him win by knockout. With that being said, is Bears extremely dangerous since everyone is expecting him to lose?
“For me, anybody that has a lost on their record and even if it’s just one. I feel like they have less to lose,” Page explained. “I am going in their with an undefeated record and for me, it’s important to keep that and to progress in my career with that as long as possible. I am starting to create a reputation and popularity. I just need to make sure that I am ready to defend that and I am.”
Throughout his time in Bellator, Page has put on memorable performances. From his ten second knockout against Ryan Sanders in his promotional debut and his victory over Ricky Rainey at the inaugural Bellator pay-per-view. He has been in the lab working on the next level of his game and plans to show off his new skills on Friday.
“I have so many different things in the locker. I haven’t even begun to show you guys the true me yet. Everyone needs to make sure you need to watch every single fight. I know that there is going to be a fight where you see something that is going to make everyone’s jaws drop.”