In part two of his exclusive two-part interview with Thunderpick, Michael Venom Page discusses meeting Jason Statham, his potential acting career, and Dana White going into boxing.
What would you do if your vision was impaired and one eye was closing in a fight?
We’re fighters at the end of the day. I think it’s a common phrase to go out on your shield.
If I can only see a little bit from one side, and I need to switch stance and fight from, then I’ll make sure my other hand is tucked by my chin. The fight game is designed for you to be like that. You have to have a warrior’s mentality, a little bit loopy. We are different to other athletes because of what we’re doing. That is what makes us unique and special, and why we should get paid.
Should Ilia Topuria fight Paddy Pimblett next if Paddy beats Benoit Saint-Denis?
If Paddy can defeat Benoit, he definitely deserves a shot against Topuria. He shocked me even with the Gaethje fight, because he took some punishment and he just kept getting back up, kept going, kept fighting. I definitely gained a lot more respect for him. Saint-Denis is a different fight, but definitely one Paddy can win. But I think Saint-Denis is going to be his hardest fight, even harder than Gathje. If he does come through, he definitely deserves to get the best of the best, and Topuria is up there. Then hopefully he gets a rematch with Justin, but this time for the belt.
Why do you favour Benoit Saint-Denis against Paddy Pimblett?
What I think is going to cause Saint-Denis a few issues is Paddy’s jiu-jitsu on the takedowns and stuff, but I think Saint-Denis’ posture, ground and pound, and his own jiu-jitsu could match it.
I feel like he’s a bit of a powerhouse in the pocket, and Paddy gets hit. His chin is high a lot, and I’ve always worried about that. I don’t like fighters who depend on having a chin, because the chin will just disappear at some point and then you’ll never get it back. You should have your first, second and third line of defence before it even gets to your chin.
How do you see Ian Garry versus Islam Makhachev?
Ian Garry, I don’t know how he does it, he just keeps creeping through and getting stuff done. To be fair, he gets better. It shows you the type of martial artist he is. He learns and improves.
Ian has those long levers, because he is longer and taller, like myself, which could make it harder for Islam to keep him down, at least the first few times. But it’s more about the third and fourth rounds, when you get more fatigued and Islam starts to figure out where your wrist goes, wrist locks you, and all of that. If Ian is going to win that fight, it has to happen in the first round or round and a half. If Ian does not get it done early, he’ll get held down and probably submitted.
How do you see Tom Aspinall versus Ciryl Gane?
I thought Tom was going to be the next big thing in the heavyweight division.
The end of that first fight was annoying for everybody, but Ciryl started that fight so well, and that made it more difficult. I still think Tom could have figured it out, but Ciryl’s style, again, I kind of favour it because he’s similar to myself. He bounces, and for a heavyweight to bounce like that, it’s impressive.That one, for me now, is difficult to just say Tom wins. I do think Tom should come in with a different mentality and adjust things based on that first round they had.
Is Tom Aspinall hard done by with the UFC?
It’s the inconsistencies that make people feel hard done by. Jon Jones can hold a belt for a lot longer and be gifted that time to figure his situation out and come back on his terms. Then Tom gets the title and is not gifted the same thing. It does seem a bit biased. But I’m sure we can name multiple scenarios like that, and it’s not just English fighters. I feel like the UFC does what it wants. Tom does seem hard done by. But once he gets back in the cage, everything will be forgotten. Same with myself. Once I’m in the cage and I’m hitting somebody, everything that happened before doesn’t matter. I’m doing what I love.
Tom Aspinall signing with Dana White?
I found that a dangerous place for him to put himself. We know these guys are at each other’s neck, then you sign with the guy that Dana White could, out of spite to somebody else, make your situation that much worse. That’s why I found it a bit of a dangerous situation to position himself in. But again, I don’t know what those conversations are in those rooms. From the outside, it looked a bit of a silly one to me.
What do you make of Dana White moving into boxing and possibly getting involved with Tyson Fury?
It feels like there is a bit of a p***ing competition between Dana White and Eddie Hearn.
But anytime there is competition, that usually means there are good opportunities and more opportunities for fighters. So I’m not against it because of what usually happens, but let’s see.
It just feels like it’s more to do with one-upping each other than it is about the fighters. People need to take a step back and realise that if it benefits your pocket, then cool. But just understand that it’s not about you. It’s not about your talent. It’s about him one-upping somebody else. Make sure your contracts are correct so you’re not left in a bad situation afterwards. But yeah, obviously try to benefit from these guys’ feud.
What is KSI’s legacy in combat sport if he never fights again?
What is KSI’s legacy in combat? I guess, just ruffling feathers. Similarly to Jake Paul, I like what he has continued to do. KSI has provided opportunities for loads of fighters now. There was a fight on the weekend, a couple of friends of mine, one is a pro, one is more of an influencer fighter, but they’ve got opportunities because KSI entered that world. A lot more people are into boxing, and he has drawn a lot more casual fans who were never into boxing. He brought them into boxing, and now they’re following other people in boxing because of that.
Does Jake Paul have the screw loose that proper fighters need?
He thought he was going to beat Anthony Joshua, so yeah, he definitely has something loose. And now his jaw is a bit loose. But I do love what he’s doing. It’s weird. I don’t care what his character is. I love what he stands for. I love the opportunities he’s creating for female fighters and for fighters in general, the shows he has put on, and the money he’s paying his fighters.
You don’t have to like him. Forget the persona, the personality and what’s going on. Look at what’s happening behind that, and you have to respect it.
Are Jake Paul and Netflix a serious competitor to UFC?
Are Jake Paul and Netflix a serious competitor to UFC? Yes, but they have to be consistent with it. Remember, the UFC has stood the test of time. A lot of these fads happen, everyone is excited in the moment, and then they disappear again. It is definitely not a competition off one show. What they’ve done is great. The numbers are great. All of that is amazing. Like I said about KSI, they are ruffling feathers, and hopefully making the UFC want to give back and keep fighters in their space by providing them a little bit more. But other than that, it’s too early. It’s way too early.
What happened when you met Jason Statham?
It was weird, because we crossed paths at the Rico fight. Rico is a good friend of mine as well, so I went out there to support him. Jason walks in and he’s got a load of security guards around him. He looks over his shoulder and goes, “Michael.” I was like, “Hello?” I didn’t know he knew who I was. Flash forward a few weeks, he’s shooting a film here in the UK. My friend King Bach has a role in the film as well. He called me while he was on set and said, “Somebody wants to talk to you.” Jason comes on the phone. The next day I went to meet them on set. He was a big fan, man. He was just chopping it up, talking about his background and how he got into where he is now. He’s just a real person. There’s no ego there. It was just nice.
My goal one day is to do a film with him, because that’s a space I’m getting into.
How far can you go as an actor?
I feel like there is a space at the moment, especially for a Black actor in the combat space, but I also want to lean into other spaces as well. You had your Wesley Snipes, you had your Michael Jai Whites, but I feel like we haven’t seen another one of those in a while. Idris Elba doesn’t necessarily do specific action. He kind of mixes and blends into a few different spaces.
In terms of combat and a Black actor, I don’t think we’ve had one in a while. I’d love to be able to fill that space and then some.
