5 Dream Fights for Free Agent Michael Page, including Kevin Holland and Anthony Pettis – Ringside Intel – Ringside Intel

Since making his Bellator debut in 2013, Michael Page has always excited fight fans. While the level of opposition he frequently faced may surprise some, there’s no denying the pure entertainment value that “Page Has” Venom offers.

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So when the news broke that “MVP” was no longer under contract with Bellator, speculation began as to where the next English kickboxer would land. With a new home comes new potential opponents. Let’s take a look at five of the best options for Michael Page in and out of Bellator.

5 perfect dream fights for Michael Page

stephen thompson

This one seems pretty obvious. Much like “MVP,” Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson turned a karate black belt into a successful mixed martial arts career complete with welterweight title challenges.

Beyond the stylistic similarities between the two, this feels like an appropriate fight considering their veteran status. Although he is currently one of the top 10 welterweights in the ufc, recent losses to Belal Muhammed and Gilbert Burns proved that Thompson’s vulnerability against top-level fighters is a huge hurdle to getting back up the ladder. At this stage of his career, the 40-year-old Wonderboy is better prepared for stand-up battles that will allow him to do what he does best.

michel pereira

Michel Peirera first appeared on our radar in a viral clip of his Road FC fight against Kim Dae-Sung. The Brazilian jumped, kicked, stepped out of the cage and found himself in the Octagon just a few months later when he replicated his acrobatic success against Danny Roberts.

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After an embarrassing loss to Tristan Connely and a disqualification against Diego Sanchez, Periera has found his footing by slowing the pace and relying far more on the basics rather than the flashy risk aversion he’s associated with. Though he’s played things more conservative of late, it’s hard to imagine him not going back to the old ways of him against Michael Page.

kevin holland

With six post-fight bonuses, including one for Fight of the Night, Kevin Holland is no stranger to putting on a show for the crowd. A fight with “Venom” would lean directly towards that.

Beyond what could potentially happen in the cage, their shared charisma and flair for the dramatic make this the easiest fight to promote on this list. As their respective pre-fight builds against Derek Brunson and Paul Daley demonstrated, they are more than capable of talking enough to generate hype. This looks like a dunk for a fight night main event outside of the Apex Center.

raymond daniels

Despite being a Bellator welterweight along with “MVP” for two years, Raymond Daniels never crossed his path in the cage. However, they have traded blows several times as kickboxers with Daniels sweeping Page in his trilogy.

Maybe that’s why Scott Coker didn’t bombard them with sparring deals to go head-to-head in MMA. But looking at his Bellator highlight reels, wandering thoughts of an old-school kung fu movie playing in real life can be forgiven.

Since Daniels now has an exclusive contract with Karate Combat, it makes sense to bring MVP on board for at least that. Although prolonged grappling exchanges between the two would have been highly unlikely in MMA, we said the same thing about MVP’s uninspiring win over Daley. Let’s just eliminate the possibility altogether.

Antonio Pettis

We’re a long way from the days when Anthony “Showtime” Pettis would pull off amazing aerial moves on the road to finish off some of the best in the world and collect championship belts. However, it’s been a few months since the former UFC and WEC lightweight king scored a boxing ring victory against a legend.

Of course, beating Roy Jones Jr. doesn’t carry the same weight today as it would a couple of decades ago. But it doesn’t really matter. That fight at Gamebred Boxing 4 was not destined to find the next world-class prospect. Considering Page has flirted with the sweet science, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pair them up. Sure, we could put them together in PFL, but that’s not so much fun.