Michael
Page believes Kevin
Holland’s “striking only” experience with Stephen
Thompson will prevent him from repeating the same in their
upcoming clash.
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The former Bellator striking ace is slated to make his
Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Holland at
UFC 299 on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Holland had previously agreed to keep the fight standing against
Thompson, another elite striker, at UFC on ESPN 42 in December
2022. “Trailblazer” was outclassed on the feet and suffered a
fourth-round corner stoppage loss resulting from a hand injury.
Page, who sees himself as a better version of “Wonderboy” in many
aspects, wouldn’t mind a similar deal with Holland but is quite
confident that his opponent won’t be up for it.
“I know for a fact Kevin
Holland is not going to want to do that agreement again after
the whooping that he took against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson,”
Page recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I see myself as the faster,
harder-hitting, more dangerous version of ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
He’s definitely not going to want to do that again. I’m happy to
take that deal. If he wants to shake my hand and do that, we can do
that. But I don’t believe he’s going to want to. He’s going to want
to utilize as much as possible to deal with me.”
While Page has built a career off of highlight-reel knockouts,
Holland is known for his durability. However, “Venom” has
previously handed other fighters their first career knockout
defeats and promises an entertaining contest regardless of if a
finish arises.
“Everyone said the same thing to me when I fought Derek
Anderso,” Page said. “They said exactly the same thing: ‘Derek
Anderson’s never been stopped. Are you going on be able to do
that?’ And I broke his face. So that’s all I really have to say to
that. I just know what I can do. Even if it goes the distance, he’s
going to be a hot mess. Anybody that wants to try to shoot for my
legs, there’s a knee that’s right there that’s just triggering,
waiting for that person to do that. We’ve seen the damage that can
do. So, it’s up to him.”
UFC 299 will be headlined by a bantamweight title meeting between
Sean
O’Malley and Marlon Vera.
Meanwhile, the co-main event will see surging French contender
Benoit St.
Denis go up against Dustin
Poirier.