Michael ‘Venom’ Page, fresh off his successful UFC debut with a victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 299, didn’t hold back when expressing his disdain for Colby Covington. In an interview with Elz the Witch on the UFC’s official YouTube channel, Page voiced his strong feelings towards the No. 4-ranked welterweight:
“I hate this guy. I’m going to be happy to kick this guy in the face… Yeah. I find him fake. He just doesn’t seem like a nice guy and with all the stuff that came out last time about what fighters should and shouldn’t be allowed to talk about with regards to people. Because people are like going deep now. They’re talking about each other’s wives and moms and dads and he was very much into it. I just didn’t like that.”
Michael ‘Venom’ Page Calls Out Colby Covington
Page, coming from a martial arts background, emphasized his disapproval of Covington’s approach, citing the importance of sportsmanship in combat sports:
“I come from a martial arts background so it’s very – that’s not the way we do things and I think he’s trying too hard to stay relevant. As much as we are a tough sport, we want to show the world that we’re true sportsmen.”
The welterweight contender made it clear that he would eagerly accept a fight with Covington if the opportunity arises, signaling his readiness to step into the octagon against the outspoken fighter.
In addition to his desire to confront Colby Covington, Michael ‘Venom’ Page expressed interest in facing Ian Garry next. Speaking on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Page explained his motivation behind targeting Garry:
“Just looking at the rankings system, I think the one that probably makes the most sense would be Ian Garry considering he thought I wasn’t even going to get past Kevin [Holland]. There was an interview that he did and they asked him his views on me and then he was like, ‘Who’s he fighting?’ and they said Kevin and he said, ‘Oh, he’s not going to beat Kevin, there’s no way he gets past Kevin. Very dismissive, which is fine.”
Page sees a matchup with Garry, ranked seventh, as an opportunity to prove himself and engage in a compelling UK vs. Ireland showdown:
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. There’s no need to be angry about it, but now, I’ve gotten past and maybe you could stop me. In the UK as well, it’s perfect. [UK vs. Ireland], so that would be a lot of noise there. I think that’s a good fight and I think he’s ranked seventh. Seven is my lucky number.”
The potential bout with Garry represents another intriguing challenge for ‘Venom’ Page as he continues to make waves in the welterweight division of the UFC.
