Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes a fight between himself and two-time UFC title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson wouldn’t be nearly as exciting in the Octagon as it is on paper.
On Saturday (March 9), the former Bellator MMA star made his promotional debut inside the Kaseya Center for a loaded night of fights at UFC 299 in Miami. In his premiere appearance, MVP put on a show and scored a decisive unanimous decision victory over Kevin Holland as part of the evening’s main card.
Following his win, pundits were already fantasy booking his next fight inside the Octagon with many of them landing on 170-pound staple and two-time title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
However, ‘Venom’ doesn’t appear to share everyone else’s enthusiasm for pairing, suggesting that his style could clash with Thompson’s making for an uneventful scrap.
“It’s weird because, obviously, I’ve been hearing this even before I got to the UFC and I always tell people the same thing — two positives doesn’t always make a positive,” told Ariel Helwani during an appearance on The MMA Hour. What would be a great fight for me and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will look like a terrible fight for everybody else because we’ll go back into autopilot of our points-scoring system and there are a lot of battles that happen without anything really happening.
“As soon as I’m ready to deploy that punch and then I sense that he’s got a counter ready and I pull away. So there’s going to be a lot of not much happening, in my opinion. I could be wrong. It could also be an amazing fight, but from my experience of fighting high-level points fighters, my skill slows everything down. It’s like two grapplers canceling each other out and then having to strike. I think it could potentially be like that.”
MVP is asked if he is interested in fighting Stephen Thompson.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/PORopTo9rg
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 11, 2024
‘Venom’ Would Still Accept a Fight with ‘Wonderboy’
For more than a decade, ‘Wonderboy’ has remained an important member of the UFC’s welterweight division, serving as somewhat of a gatekeeper for contenders looking to work their way up the ladder. He has twice challenged for the 170-pound crown, going to a five-round majority draw with then-champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 205 before losing the immediate rematch via a majority decision four months later.
Going 4-5 since then, Thompson has failed to secure a third shot at UFC gold. Despite that, he continues to be a featured member of the division courtesy of his entertaining style and his reputation for being a genuinely nice guy both in and out of the cage.
“I think the guy is an amazing guy,” Page added. “I’m sure everyone thinks he’s an amazing guy. Just meeting and spending time with him, I have so much love and respect for him.”
Of course, Michael Page didn’t completely shut down the possibility of fighting ‘Wonderboy’ someday. After all, he’s in the business of beating people up for money. If the UFC tells him that Stephen Thompson is next, so shall it be.
“Would it be my first choice, not at all,” Page continued. “Am I a prize fighter and would I take it if presented, yes, of course. But I don’t think it’s as good as everyone thinks it may be.
Watch MVP’s full interview on The MMA Hour below:
