5 Defining Moments: Michael Page

Michael Page once again appears to have his work cut out for him as he ventures into the uncharted waters of the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

The British karateka will do battle with the undefeated Sharabutdin Magomedov in the UFC Fight Night 250 co-main event on Saturday at anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Page, 37, has rattled off eight wins across his past 10 appearances. However, he finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision defeat to Ian Garry at UFC 303 in June.

As Page approaches his looming confrontation with Magomedov at 185 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Shatter Machine

Page knocked out Evangelista Santos with a spectacular flying knee in the second round of their Bellator 158 welterweight showcase on July 16, 2016 at the O2 Arena in London. “Venom” brought it to a close 4:31 into Round 2, whipping the crowd into a passionate frenzy while doing so. After a fast start, the two men engaged one another at close range and on the ground to close the first round, giving no inclination of what was to come. In the middle stanza, Page doubled over “Cyborg” with a body kick, gave chase and cut down the Brazilian with an exquisitely placed knee strike upstairs. No follow-up shots were necessary as the fallen Santos hit the canvas in agony, his face buried in his hands. It was later revealed the “Cyborg” had suffered a fractured skull; in fact, X-rays showed part of his forehead had been caved in by the blow. He never fought again.

2. Explosives Expert

The undefeated Page advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator MMA welterweight grand prix with a unanimous decision over Paul Daley in their five-round Bellator 216 headliner on Feb. 16, 2019 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it 48-47. After an uneventful first five minutes, Daley turned to takedowns and enjoyed success with the surprising tactic. He grounded Page in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds but did not do enough with the advantageous positions in which he found himself. Daley appeared to hit a wall once it became clear he could not crack his adversary’s resolve. Page stunned “Semtex” with a flying knee in the fourth round, landed a takedown of his own and applied his ground-and-pound. He then scrambled to Daley’s back in the fifth, threaded one hook and threatened briefly with a rear-naked choke. Page countered a last-ditch takedown attempt from the former Cage Rage champion in the waning seconds, assumed top position and bled the remaining time off the clock.

3. Swept Away

Lima punched his ticket—and quite literally so—to the Bellator MMA welterweight grand prix final when he knocked out the previously unbeaten London Shootfighters star in the second round of their Bellator 221 co-main event on May 11, 2019 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Page hit the deck in an unconscious heap 35 seconds into Round 2, substance having conquered style. After a cautious first round from both men, chaos ensued. Page clipped the Atlanta-based Brazilian with a right hand to the temple that shook his equilibrium and resulted in his hitting the reset button. Lima countered the oncoming Brit with a powerful leg kick that swept him off of his feet and then blasted the karateka with a sweeping uppercut as he tried to stand. Page folded and landed face up on the canvas, where he was met with a burst of hammerfists before referee Mike Beltran could arrive on the scene.

4. Split Ticket

Repeated takedowns and a stubborn top game carried Kill Cliff Fight Club export Logan Storley to a split decision over Page, as he captured the interim Bellator MMA welterweight crown in the Bellator 281 main event on May 13, 2022 at The SSE Arena in London. All three judges scored it 48-47: Bryan Miner and Michael Bell for Storley, David Lethaby for Page. Storley executed takedowns in all five rounds, accumulated considerable control time and left his frustrated adversary looking for answers. Page, as expected, excelled in the standup exchanges but too often saw his momentum stonewalled by a takedown from the four-time NCAA All-American wrestler. Storley tied a bow on his performance in the fifth round, where he grounded the Brit on multiple occasions and piled up points with ground-and-pound from half guard.

5. A New Frontier

Page handled business in his long-awaited Octagon debut when he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland in their three-round UFC 299 welterweight feature on March 9, 2024 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. All three members of the cageside judiciary turned in 29-28 scorecards. Holland had no answers for the karateka’s combination of speed and technique. Operating in the shadows of the Sean O’Malley-Marlon Vera headliner, Page darted in and out of range, stepped into overhand rights whenever the mood arose and slammed a number of no-look spinning back elbows into the Phalanx MMA Academy product’s face. Frustration built for Holland, and outside of a takedown in the second round that included a brief bid for a rear-naked choke, he was woefully ineffective. Page picked his spots from the perimeter, toyed at times with a well-respected opponent and felt comfortable enough to resort to some of his patented showboating.