Michael Page facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Page |
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Page in 2017
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| Born | Michael Jerome Reece-Page 7 April 1987 London, England |
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| Other names | Venom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Welterweight (MMA) Light heavyweight (boxing) |
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| Reach | 79 in (201 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Kickboxing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | London Shootfighters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Black belt in Kung Fu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2017–present (boxing) 2012–present (MMA) |
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| Professional boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kickboxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable school(s) | Quintin Kynaston School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Michael Jerome Reece-Page (born April 7, 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is a professional mixed martial artist from England. He is famous for his exciting and unusual fighting style. Currently, he competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 2024, he is ranked among the top welterweight fighters in the UFC.
Page is known in the MMA world for his flashy, unique, and powerful fighting style. This style comes from "point fighting" forms like freestyle kickboxing and sport karate, and also includes moves from Kung Fu. He has also competed professionally in kickboxing, boxing, and even bare-knuckle boxing.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Michael Page was born in St Mary's Hospital, London. His parents, Curtis Page Sr. and Pauline Reece, were both skilled in Lau Gar kung fu. His father was from Trinidad, and his mother was from Jamaica. Michael's uncle, Stan Brown, was a Lau Gar Master and also taught his father.
Page grew up with nine siblings, three of whom were adopted. He went to Quintin Kynaston School in St John's Wood. Since almost everyone in his family practiced martial arts, it felt natural for him to do the same.
Kickboxing Career Highlights
Michael's father, Curtis Page Sr., was his first instructor. Many of his siblings, including Sefena, Curtis Jr., Jamie, and Kalon, also became kickboxing champions.
Page started training in Lau Gar kung fu at just 3 years old. He entered his first kickboxing tournament when he was 5. By age 8, he was serious about competing and took part in his first international tournament in Germany.
He went on to win 10 world championships in kickboxing. His first world title was at the US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships in Florida in 1998, when he was 12. He also won the British champion title more than 25 times. By age 13, Page was already competing in adult tournaments. To prepare, he trained five hours a day, five days a week. On tournament days, he would often fight up to 14 times because he competed in different weight classes. Once, he even fought 22 times in a single day!
Some of his major kickboxing wins include:
- Gold at the W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 (Coimbra) in the −89 kg semi-contact division.
- Gold at the W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup 2008 in the −84 kg semi-contact division.
- Two gold medals at the W.A.K.O. Austrian Classics Worldcup 2009 in both light-contact and semi-contact divisions.
- Gold at the WKA World Championships 2009 in the semi-contact prize competition.
He also earned silver medals at the World Combat Games 2010 and several W.A.K.O. Irish Open events. Page was even asked to train with the Great Britain Taekwondo team for the Olympics, but he chose to focus on a professional combat sports career instead.
When he's not fighting, Page teaches kickboxing at Hands Down Martial Arts Academies in Surrey.
Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Starting MMA
Michael Page decided to switch to mixed martial arts because he felt kickboxing didn't offer enough opportunities. He joined London Shootfighters in July 2011 to start his MMA career. He trains up to seven hours a day and also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra.
Early MMA Fights
Page made his MMA debut at UCMMA 26 on February 4, 2012. He won by technical knockout in the first round with a "tornado kick." This fight became very popular online, and people started comparing him to famous fighter Anderson Silva.
He continued to win his early fights, often with exciting finishes. He won against Miguel Bernard by submission and later returned to kickboxing for one fight, winning by knockout.
Joining Super Fight League and Bellator MMA
In 2012, Page signed with Super Fight League. He won his first two fights there by technical knockout and submission.
Soon after, he also signed a contract with Bellator MMA, one of the biggest MMA organizations. He made a spectacular debut at Bellator 93 on March 21, 2013, winning by knockout in just 10 seconds!
Throughout 2014, 2015, and 2016, Page continued his winning streak in Bellator. He defeated opponents like Ricky Rainey, Rudy Bears, and Charlie Ontiveros, often with quick knockouts or submissions. One of his most famous wins was against Evangelista Santos at Bellator 158 in July 2016, where he won with a spectacular flying knee knockout. This knockout went viral and was even followed by a fun Pokémon Go-inspired celebration.
Bellator Grand Prix and Key Fights
In 2019, Page took part in the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Tournament. He faced Paul Daley in the quarter-finals and won by unanimous decision. However, he lost to Douglas Lima in the semi-finals, which was his first professional MMA loss.
After this, Page quickly bounced back with more knockout wins against fighters like Richard Kiely and Giovanni Melillo. He continued to fight and win in Bellator through 2020 and 2021, including a rematch win against Douglas Lima and a doctor-stoppage victory over Derek Anderson.
In 2022, Page fought for the interim Bellator Welterweight World Championship against Logan Storley but lost by a close decision. In 2023, he won against Goiti Yamauchi with a quick TKO.
Moving to UFC
In December 2023, it was announced that Michael Page had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's largest MMA organization. He made his UFC debut against Kevin Holland on March 9, 2024, at UFC 299, winning by unanimous decision. He later faced Ian Garry in June 2024, losing by unanimous decision. Page is scheduled to fight Sharabutdin Magomedov in February 2025.
Boxing Career
In 2017, Michael Page also started a professional boxing career. He signed a contract with Hayemaker Ringstar, a company owned by famous boxer David Haye. Page trained hard to switch from MMA to boxing, comparing it to a "sprinter turning into a long distance runner."
He made his boxing debut on October 20, 2017, winning by technical knockout. He won his second boxing match by knockout in June 2018.
Other Combat Sports
In August 2022, Page also tried Bare-knuckle boxing, fighting Mike Perry. He lost this fight by a majority decision.
More recently, in November 2024, Page competed in a professional grappling match at Polaris 30, where he defeated Carlos Condit by decision.
Fighting Style and Nickname
Michael Page describes his fighting style as a "hands down kickboxing style." It's a mix of different martial arts like taekwondo, karate, and kung fu, all adapted for point-scoring rules. He focuses on controlling the distance from his opponent and landing powerful counter-attacks with great accuracy.
He is known for his tricky movements and knockout power. He often uses playful actions during fights to stay focused, confuse his opponents, and excite the crowd. His parents and coaches Simon Lewis and Marvin Francis have been very important in his fighting career.
Page got his nickname "Venom" from fellow kickboxer Marvin Francis. It's a tribute to the movie Five Deadly Venoms. Michael Page is also a big fan of Manchester United F.C., a famous football team.
Championships and Achievements
Michael Page has achieved many great things in his combat sports career:
Kickboxing
- World Combat Games
- Silver Medalist in 2010.
- World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (W.A.K.O.)
- Gold Medalist at the 2007 World Championships.
- Gold Medalist at the 2008 and 2009 Austrian Classics Worldcup events.
- Silver Medalist at the 2009 World Championships and multiple Irish Open events.
- World Kickboxing Association (WKA)
- Gold Medalist at the 2009 WKA World Championships.
- International Sport Karate Association (ISKA)
- Gold Medalist at the 1998 US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships.
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
- Ranked among the top newcomers of 2024 by UFC.com.
- Bellator MMA
- Reached the semi-finals of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix.
- Holds the record for most knockout victories in Bellator Welterweight division history (9).
- Tied for most knockout victories in Bellator history overall (11).
- Fourth most wins in Bellator history (17).
- World MMA Awards
- Won "Knockout of the Year" in 2016 for his flying knee against Evangelista Santos.
- MMAjunkie
- Won "Knockout of the Month" in July 2016 and March 2023.
- Won "Knockout of the Year" in 2016.
- Sherdog
- Recognized for one of the "Greatest Single Strikes in MMA History."
- Won "Knockout of the Year" in 2016.
- Bleacher Report
- Won "Knockout of the Year" in 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Page para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
