LONDON – Michael Page smells nerves in his upcoming opponent, Mike Perry.
The former Bellator title challenger believes Perry is feeling the pressure of their main event bout ahead of their clash on Saturday at BKFC 27. Page, who’s making his debut in bare-knuckle boxing, thinks that a big part of it is because Perry has been a long-time fan of his.
“I think a lot of times it’s a massive show of nerves,” Page told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “And I think it’s a massive show of nerves because he is a fan of me. I’ve seen that from the first time I met him because he’s known about me for a very long time.
“He’s actually called me out, which I found out recently. He’s called me out before he went into the UFC. I’ve obviously been a highlight in his career for a long time, where I just heard of him. I’ve seen him because moreso from his personality than his actual fighting. And of course, I went and watched his fighting – typical tough guy, but great personality here.”
Ultimately, Page believes he will be able to quickly alter Perry’s plan of attack once the action begins.
“He’s going to come forward and fight until they feel what I’m like in there, until they get frustrated, until they get hit with certain shots they didn’t think I would be able to land, then it changes,” Page said. “His personality will change.”
Page is still under contract with Bellator. This bout in bareknuckle boxing is a one-off for the time being, but he’s not ruling out a return to the ring in the future.
“As we speak right now, it’s a one-off,” Page said. “The fact that they’ve positioned themselves, it makes it easier to start later on if there is an opportunity that comes up. It’s going to be easier to come cross back over.
“But it’s not just me, I have to speak to Bellator again. The powers that be may not be happy with it if it’s too close to a fight or this and that. So those are things, but they’ve positioned themselves now so that it makes it easier to keep bouncing through. But for now, one-off fight and back to MMA.”
