Following Michael Page’s victory over Shara Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1, Michael Bisping has suggested that Page might be better suited for the middleweight division.
Despite the Brit’s stated intention to return to welterweight, Bisping believes the 185-pound weight class offers more favorable matchups for “MVP.”
The former UFC middleweight champion shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel, highlighting the abundance of wrestlers in the welterweight division as a potential challenge for Page.
“Of course, you’ve got Belal Muhammad, you’ve got Shavkat Rakhmonov that you’d think would definitely wrestle ‘MVP’ if he was to fight him. There’s Kamaru Usman and many, many others.”
Bisping also analyzed Page’s performance against Magomedov, acknowledging his dominance in the fight.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for (Magomedov), but I’ve got to call it like I see it. ‘MVP’ was by far the better man tonight,” Bisping said. “He was the better striker, he was in control, he was dominant, and he was owning the octagon. More importantly, he was frustrating Shara ‘Bullet.’ Shara is a really good striker. He’s very aggressive, and he’s got really fast kicks, but he’s kind of conventional.
“That is why ‘MVP’ probably called him out because he’s seen that style a thousand times. ‘MVP,’ with the traditional sport karate background, with the hands low, with the precision striking, with the one-shot kind of power — ‘MVP’ has seen that style many, many times. But Shara ‘Bullet’ hasn’t seen that style. And not many people who have that style can deliver it and execute it with the precision that Michael ‘Venom’ Page can.”
Page has primarily competed at welterweight throughout his career. While his overall record is impressive, his record at 170 pounds in the UFC stands at 1-1.
He secured a decision victory over Kevin Holland on debut at UFC 299 but later lost to Ian Garry by decision at UFC 303.