Michael 'Venom' Page predicts Mike Perry will be left disfigured after their fight at BKFC London on August 20.
Bellator star Page faces former UFC welterweight Perry in the main event of the London event next weekend, which is being held at the Wembley Arena. The announcement surprised many fans as Page has never fought in bare-knuckle before, with Perry winning his BKFC debut against Julian Lane in February.
Known for his flamboyant style, standout kickboxer Page has surprisingly been on good terms with the unpredictable Perry in the build-up to the fight. Page has praised his opponent's toughness but thinks it will work against him, predicting that 'Platinum' will be left disfigured in the ring.
Who wins at BKFC London - Michael 'Venom' Page or Mike Perry? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
"He seems to be accustomed to getting hit, that's definitely not my approach in combat but each to their own," Page told Mirror Fighting of Perry. "It's worked for him and his career. It could be [an early night] but I have seen him take some big shots and keep coming. I'm seeing it for the long haul, the only difference is I'm not going to stop hitting him. He's definitely going to have a swollen face afterwards."
"He's been relatively tame in comparison to the Mike Perry that a lot of the people know. When I first met him there was an immediate respect, he spoke well of myself but that's not going to change his approach when we get in there. He's going to go out on his shield, I feel like he was born in the wrong time and he should have been a warrior in the Roman times."
As for now, Page is competing in BKFC on a one-fight basis and plans to return to Bellator after his fight with Perry. The top welterweight, who missed out on interim gold against Logan Storley at Bellator 281, has admitted that he received mixed reactions when his bare-knuckle debut was announced.
"I get a lot of different types of reactions when I'm telling people," Page added. "Even now, it's been announced for a little while and people are still like 'are you actually doing this?'. Similar to MMA when it first came through, people just saw it as barbaric. They didn't see the skill and level of commitment that athletes had, it's the same with bare-knuckle now. People have a negative appeal about initially."
