Michael Page is one of the most exciting fighters in all of Bellator MMA, but something went wrong at Bellator 165 and Page, along with opponent Fernando Gonzalez, were jeered by the fans in attendance.
According to Page, it wasn’t his fault that the fight turned out so bad, it was his opponent's.
"Normally, I put on a show," said Page to MMA Fighting. "People have high expectations. I had a bad day at the office. When you're working with someone being negative ten minutes of the fight, it's very difficult to get anything off. In the last round, I was disappointed in not figuring out the timing. It was still a bad day at the office, but I won that fight two rounds to one. I felt like I was chasing a headless chicken. It was very difficult to get something off on someone being so negative. I landed a few jabs and a kick to pull him in. In the final round, when he was pressing, I didn't get my timing off to where I could land the shot I wanted to land. That's why I'm disappointed. But whoever that judge was who scored it 30-27 (for Gonzalez), don't sit in that corner when I fight again."
Page obviously doesn’t want his fights to go down the way that it did, but sometimes that comes with the territory.
"Obviously you don't ever want to get booed," said Page. "I've been booed before, but in this particular situation it was due to the performance. Usually I'm booed because I'm coming from abroad. It added to the frustration for me because I love to give a good performance. I had a bad day at the office, and I still took a win. I managed to achieve what I wanted to achieve. I should have pressed a little bit earlier in the second," said Gonzalez. "I had to let him run himself out of gas in the second, and then pressed him in the second. I'm the shorter fighter. It's difficult for me to land a clean shot But I shut his game down."
While a potential rematch with Gonzalez may happen down the line, Page has other priorities he wants to focus on right now.
"I'll take a rematch, but I've got other things in mind" said Page, "He didn't take his chance when he got it. I'm going to move onward and upward."
One of those priorities may be getting a shot at the Bellator MMA Welterweight Title, which is currently held by Douglas Lima.
"I saw the last fight as I'm sure you all did," he said. "I'm happy for Douglas Lima. After he lost, it was good to see him fit and in shape. I look forward to a challenge like that."
Page is undefeated at 12-0-0 and the fight with Gonzalez was only the second fight of his career to go to a decision, the other was with UFC veteran Nah-Shon Burrell.
