Following a solid UFC debut against Kevin Holland, Michael Page lost to Ian Garry at UFC 303 via unanimous decision. Despite having success on the feet, he could not stop a couple of Garry's takedowns and was controlled for over seven minutes.
The fight was close with Garry decisively winning the first and Page bouncing back in the second. MVP started strong in the third but a late takedown helped "Machado" get the judges' nod.
Here's what Georges St-Pierre's coach, Firas Zahabi, thinks of MVP's future in the UFC welterweight division and whether he can be the champion one day...
Georges St-Pierre's Coach Expects Michael 'Venom' Page To Improve His Resume In The UFC
Zahabi recently talked about MVP's potential to become the UFC welterweight champion on his YouTube channel. Although he claimed Page to be the better striker in the Garry fight, he is skeptical about the Bellator star's ability to handle other high-level opponents.
I think MVP looked good in the striking. The third round was close. I gave the first round, obviously to Ian. Second round, I gave it to MVP. Third round, I had MVP and then Ian Garry came out with the double leg.
While looking at Page's record, Zahabi highlighted that many of his opponents in Bellator can't be compared to the top-ranked UFC welterweights. Apart from Holland and Douglas Lima, his most notable win is over Paul Daley. According to GSP's coach, Lima won the rematch against "Venom", which is why he isn't impressed by the latter's resume.
It was a close fight but those are just higher level competitors. And It Was the First Time We see Him Against higher level competitors. The THing is MVP's Had a lot of fights in his career but he's fought a lot of guys you've never heard of. He's fought a lot of guys you've never heard of.
The coach said that most of Page's opponents won't make it to the top 15 in the UFC welterweight division. As a result, "Venom" might be overwhelmed by the competition in the promotion.
Zahabi gave Page his props for the impressive win over Holland and advised him to continue fighting the top 15 ranked UFC welterweights. He didn't sound confident about MVP winning gold at 170 pounds, though.