Michael Page will be a ranked UFC fighter come Tuesday, as he scored a victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 319.
Cannonier tried to close the distance to land on Page, but MVP kept on the outside and used his long range to his advantage. He consistently tagged Cannonier, including a counter punch that dropped Cannonier briefly. "The Gorilla" briefly was able to get a hold of Page and placed him against the fence, but he didn't do anything with it.
Page continued to do work in the second round, scoring another knockdown with a one-two combination and taunting Cannonier while trying to keep distance. Cannonier finally got the fight to the ground and held Page there for the third round. He attempted a couple of submissions, but they were for naught.
Page took the decision on all three judges' scorecards, 29-28.
Michael Page Scores Judges' Nod Over Jared Cannonier At UFC 319
Page is now 3-1 in the UFC, having also bested Kevin Holland Shara Magomedov. His sole loss came against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303.
Cannonier is now 3-3 in his last six. He came into this fight off a knockout of Gregory "Robocop" Rodrigues.