Michael Venom Page has managed to comprise an impressive 14-1 MMA record, only having suffered his first professional loss to former welterweight champion Diego Lima recently at Bellator 221. But one criticism that has followed Page around for years is that he is a “can crusher,” only dominating opponents who are of subpar caliber. Oddly enough, in the case of MVP’s next opponent at Bellator 227, Richard Kiely, MVP happens to agree that he is indeed about to crush a can:
“I see him as a joke, full stop,” Page told reporters following the Bellator 227 face-offs. “Everything about him, his whole career in MMA seems funny to me. He’s…I don’t know what his record is again. Like, 3-1 or 4-1? But he’s already retired and come back. Everything about him as a fighter is a joke, and he kind of plays up to it on stage.”
That said, MVP is seeing his upcoming bout with newfangled nemesis Richard Kiely as more of an opportunity to display his skills once again more so than testing himself:
“100%,” Page answered when asked if his bout was Kiely was strictly a showcase of his own talents. “I’m just happy I get to do it in Dublin. It’s just gonna be amazing. I’m coming back off a loss myself. It’d be good to make a little bit of noise and then get back to serious work.
“I’m not deterring my training away, but I’m not taking him seriously enough to even analyze him in any way, shape, or form.”
It is possible that Page’s comments is a way at taking shots at Richard Kiely who has taken his fair share of jabs at Page himself, but he certainly seemed to speak with sincerity when assessing Kiely’s abilities or lack thereof.
Do you believe Richard Kiely is a “can” for Michael Venom Page to crush at Bellator 227?
