SUMMARY
- Michael 'Venom' Page is set to make his UFC debut against Kevin Holland.
- During an interview, Holland talked about his opponent, MVP.
American MMA star Kevin Holland is all set to face British fighter Michael ‘Venom’ Page at UFC 299. The event is set to kick off on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. In the main card, Sean O’Malley will be defending his bantamweight title against Marlon Vera. However, the fans also have some pretty exciting lineups for the preliminary fights, especially Kevin Holland’s fight against Michael Page.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page, also known as MVP, has switched from boxing to MMA and will be making his UFC debut against Kevin Holland. Page has made quite a name for himself in Bellator over the past decade. He was recently signed to the promotion by UFC boss Dana White. The British boxer will face Holland, who’s currently #13 in the UFC welterweight rankings, for his first UFC bout.
🚨| The #UFC299 press conference will feature all 10 main card fighters:
Sean O’Malley
Chito Vera
Dustin Poirier
Benoit Saint Denis
Kevin Holland
Michael Page
Gilbert Burns
Jack Della Maddalena
Song Yadong
Petr YanThursday – 6pm ET, 3pm PT, 11pm GMT
[per @mma_kings] pic.twitter.com/0a04GyycjT
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 3, 2024
Kevin Holland, however, has no qualms about facing Michael Page. In a recent appearance on UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra, Holland discussed his upcoming fight. Kevin was asked about whether he would be preparing for his fight in a different way as someone of Page’s stature was making his UFC debut. Holland replied that this hasn’t been the first instance that he has been the opponent for someone’s debut fight.
Another fun fight on #UFC299 is the UFC debut of Michael Venom Page vs. Kevin Holland.
Does MVP have a successful debut? I believe Holland gets it done. 👊 pic.twitter.com/T9OdNYxhvw
— The Punch Report 👊 (@ThePunchReport_) January 30, 2024
The American fighter admitted that he has been the debut opponent for the likes of Joaquin Buckley and several other fighters who aren’t even in the promotion anymore. Holland also compared Page’s fighting style to the veteran UFC star Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and said, “He (Page) does stuff kind of like Wonder Boy.” Nevertheless, the fans are in for a treat at UFC 299.
Kevin Holland wants to run Michael Page off the UFC
Kevin Holland has issued a stern warning to Michael Page ahead of the latter’s UFC debut. With Page making his debut against Holland on March 9, the former is in no mood to take it easy against the debutant. In an interview with ESPN, Holland claimed that he is looking forward to running MVP off the UFC after just one fight in the promotion.
He stated that if he wanted to fight someone from the Bellator, he wouldn’t be fighting in the UFC. Holland said, “Hopefully, after I smash him he’s not even here anymore and he goes off to a different league.” Holland also added that while Page has been doing well for himself and winning bouts, most of his opponents aren’t skillful and have poor timing and lack headwork and footwork.
A look at Kevin Holland’s UFC Fight Night defeat against Stephen Thompson
Kevin Holland comparing Michael Page’s fighting style to Stephen Thompson’s would come as a piece of great news to the British boxer. Thompson, who turned 41 this year, is currently fighting in the welterweight division. Unlike most UFC fighters who are trained in jiu-jitsu or muay thai, Thompson‘s fighting style is heavily inspired by his Kempo style of karate, which he has been training in since an early age.
Kevin Holland himself faced ‘Wonderboy’ back in 2022 in the UFC Fight Night. In what was a grueling fight, Stephen Thompson defeated Holland in the fourth round via TKO. The 31-year-old American UFC star suffered a broken hand that led to his coach, Bob Perez, stepping in and calling off the fight against Stephen. However, ‘Wonderboy’ later confirmed that he had also suffered two broken metacarpals in his left hand during his fight against Holland.