UFC Saudi Arabia: What’s next for Michael “Venom” Page?

MMA: UFC 299- Page vs Holland
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, we saw a big time matchup in the middleweight division. Michael “Venom” Page (23-3) was moving up in weight to take on the dangerous and entertaining striker Shara Magomedov (15-1).

Magomedov had a ton of hype behind him especially after his double spinning backfist knockout last October. He’s an excellent striker at 185 pounds and he’s definitely going to be a tough out for some of the top contenders if they choose to stand with him. That said, he was dealing with a very difficult puzzle on Saturday.

MVP is one of the most dynamic and creative strikers in the promotion. He’s also incredibly tough to hit and most strikers look pedestrian against him just ask Ian Machado Garry. For that reason, I picked him as the underdog in my predictions because I just didn’t think Shara Bullet had the speed to outpoint MVP on the feet.

Turns out, that prediction was correct. Throughout the entire three rounds at UFC Saudi Arabia, MVP was elusive and he picked his shots perfectly. Magomedov never got going and it ended up being a lopsided decision with for Michael “Venom” Page.

What’s next after UFC Saudi Arabia?

After this win on Saturday, MVP is now 2-1 since signing with the UFC. He dominated Kevin Holland last year, performed well against Ian Machado Garry, and now he’s taken the 0 from Shara Magomedov. Page moved up to middleweight specifically for this matchup but he’ll be moving back down to welterweight for his next fight.

With that, who should he face? There are a few options that I like for MVP. One option is 11th ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. It’s a dream matchup of strikers and I think everyone would love to see this fight. If you want to go with top / rising contenders, I think a matchup between Page and Carlos Prates would be electric.

Someone like Geoff Neal also would make a ton of sense for MVP. Either way, he’ll be getting an entertaining dance partner in his next matchup from the UFC.

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