Bellator star Michael Page looks to keep his unblemished record in tact when he faces late replacement Charlie Ontiveros (6-3) at Bellator 144 on October 23rd. Page (8-0) spoke to MMAOddsBreaker on Episode 127 of The Parting Shot Podcast and discussed a variety of topics. Having four opponents pull out for this fight “I had quite a few of pullouts for whatever reason. I don’t like to look into it too much, I just want to focus on the opponent I have. I actually think my second professional fight in the UK; I had three in one week pull out. It’s a frustrating feeling; you’re trying to get prepared for someone. A lot of people feel the disadvantage is on the person coming in, but it’s not always the case. The majority of MMA guys that I know are always in training and ready to take fights anyways.” Matchup against Charlie Ontiveros “This is a tricky one as well because he’s known to be unorthodox. It’s hard to kind of prepare for it in a couple of weeks. Because of his tricky style he’s not your typical MMA fighter because he has a karate background, I‘m going to have to adjust slightly. He’s very tricky with his kicks and punches and throws them in a non-conventional way. It just means I have to be a little more patent in trying to figure him out. Be a bit more aware of my distance.” Watching tape on his opponent “For me personally I watch a couple of tapes, then the rest I leave to my coaches. They literally describe with a very detailed description of what I need to be aware of it. For me I train towards that description and that’s it.” Training Camp “[Sparring partners] there is so many people, [including] Mike Shipman. We’ve actually have a load of boxers come down as well. We had a guy from Lebanon, who actually has a similar style to myself – karate, tae-kwon do background. There are just loads of bodies down there and as normal working the ground game and wrestling.” Worried his aggressive style will leave openings for more seasoned opponents “[I’m not worried] at all. The fact is that the reason I’m able to pull that kind of stuff off, it has nothing to do with the opponents that I’m getting, it has to do with my style itself. I train against a lot of top level fighters and I’m able to do the exact same thing. It still requires them to figure it out and it’s a style that’s very difficult to prepare against. I already know as the competition goes up, I’ll still be able to pull off certain moves. It may not finish them and that’s the difference. It means I’m just going to have to land that much more during the fight.” Being flamboyant in the cage and modest outside the cage “It’s a part of my character. At the same time the martial arts style I started in, you have to show respect at all times. You’re a martial artist first and that’s why I have that type of character off the mat. When I’m in the cage, it’s combat, its enjoyment, it’s a show and I love to put one on.” Favourite comedian “One of the top for me is obviously Eddie Murphy and Bernie Mak. But right now Dave Chappelle is definitely one of my best. I prefer to go out and watch these things. Anytime they have an event, I like to go with friends and family and experience it.” How he became a fan of the NHL’s L.A. Kings “[Jonathan] Quick in goal, I don’t know why I’ve always been a fan of him. He’s definitely one of my favourite players. It’s weird because it actually came from the game [EA Sports NHL] when I didn’t actually know who the hell anyone was. Me and one of my good friends and I were playing the game, he would always be the Mighty Ducks and I was always the Kings and I just became a fan of them. I follow them on all the social media; however recently I haven’t had a chance to pay too much attention to the team. How this fight ends on October 23rd “Again I believe I’m going to have to be a little more patent to figure him out. It’s more on my side of being a bit more cautious and not getting hit with anything silly. If it is the first round, it will be just at the end. If not, definitely in the second round. I’m looking for a big kick this time.” You can follow Michael on Twitter @Michaelpage247 and you can listen to the full audio version of this interview below (20 mins in)
