Two big free agents have made their way to the UFC in 2024.
It still feels weird to say Michael “Venom” Page is a part of the UFC roster, even after watching him surgically dismantle Kevin Holland in his promotional debut at UFC 299 earlier this month. The fight was Page’s first in almost one full year to the day when he last scored a nasty 26-second TKO over Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292.
Page, 36, spent nine years with Bellator before finally jumping ship for the worldwide leader in MMA. “MVP” isn’t the UFC’s only significant acquisition this year, though, as former two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison signed to debut against Holly Holm at UFC 300 next month. No matter the promotion, none compare to what the UFC has to offer, believes UFC CEO Dana White and fans are seeing that with his newest stars.
“When you get to the UFC — you just saw it with ‘MVP,’ you’re gonna see it with Kayla Harrison, and so many others that have come from other organizations, and they get here,” White told Lex Fridman. “They notice immediately the difference between fighting here and fighting wherever they were before. It’s not even comparable to the impact it has on you when you leave whatever organization you’re with, and you come to the UFC.”
Despite his strong performance against Holland, Page noted post-fight how he didn’t feel at his best in the unanimous decision win. Outside of that, he got to put on a show to a decent effect, as fans have grown accustomed to, when he delivered an entertaining WWE-inspired entrance.
Harrison got a taste of a UFC press atmosphere with a fan Q&A ahead of UFC 299. However, it was nothing like the pre-fight press conference that Page participated in, says White.
“I think that it gives them a sense of, ‘Holy s***. I can really—’ I mean, ‘MVP,’ when he came, there were probably more people at the press conference than any fight he’d ever fought in at Bellator, you know what I mean?” White said. “You feel that energy, and you feel the difference in the impact of being here, and I think it takes a lot of these guys to another level.”
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The MMA Hour.
Catching up with Javier Mendez.
UFC Connected: Jared Gordon.
Free fights.
Gaethje’s Road to UFC 300.
On To the Next One. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alex K. Lee discuss the matches to make after UFC Vegas 89.
Drake’s take:
A post-concert “Crash” from Zuzana:
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
Health scare.
The champ speaks.
Dustin if you could beat anybody, you’d be holding this belt right now, not me ♂️
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) March 25, 2024
Woosh.
Throwback.
No thanks.
Dancin’ Joe.
Strike a pose.
Post-fight faces.
As one does.
Trilogy.
Wild.
Cauliflower.
Adjustment.
Action shots.
Edson Barboza (24-11) vs. Lerone Murphy (13-0-1); UFC Vegas 92, May 18
Alexander Volkov (37-10) vs. Jailton Almeida (20-3); UFC 302, June 1
Anthony Hernandez (12-2, 1 NC) vs. Roman Dolidze (12-3); UFC 302, June 1
Carli Judice (3-1) vs. Gabriella Fernandes (8-3); UFC Vegas 93, June 15
Luana Santos (7-1) vs. Mariya Agapova (10-4); UFC Fight Night, July 13
Page and Harrison have been pretty open about this so far. It’s not much of a secret, at least regarding UFC’s crowd shows — a bit of a different story for the Apex events.
Either way, honestly, I want to answer the poll question and feel it’s pretty easy. Harrison just has a significantly easier group to have success against than MVP. I still think he’ll do relatively well for as long as he’s around.
Thanks for reading!
Poll
Who will have a more successful UFC career?
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Michael “Venom” Page
(0 votes)
0 votes total
Vote Now
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