(Props: UCMMA)
English welterweight Michael “Venom” Page (7-0) has become one of the most consistently thrilling MMA fighters in the world. This is the dude who won his pro MMA debut via tornado kick, in the world’s first-ever “just gonna stand here for a while” knockout (see above). He won his Bellator debut in just 10 seconds. In his second Bellator fight, he did this to Ricky Rainey. His decision win last month over Strikeforce/UFC veteran Nah-Shon Burrell marked the first time that one of Page’s fights made it out of the first round.
Michael Page is a friggin’ monster, and he’s earned a step up in competition. And so, he’s just been booked to compete at Bellator 133: The British Invasion (February 27th; Uncasville, CT) against fast-rising up-and-comer…uh…wait a minute, who the hell is “Curtious” Curtis Millender?
No, we’ve never heard of the guy either, and his nickname deserves its own post. (“My 3rd-grade teacher gave me that name, and it just stuck” — made-up quote from Curtis Millender.) Apparently, he’s a 7-0 fighter from San Berdoo, with all of his fights taking place in the OC Fight Club promotion. He’s a coach at the UFC Gym in Fullerton, and comes from a wrestling background. He only has two stoppage wins to his name, including a 48-second doctor’s stoppage TKO of TUF 16 castmember James Chaney last month.
Okay, maybe it’s not fair to write this dude off as dead meat before we’ve even seen him. Watch the promo video below, and you’ll see Millender throw some flashy attacks that we might describe as “Page-esque in their execution, Joe.” Plus, at the 0:36 mark, he makes his opponent do the stankiest stanky-leg we have ever seen in sanctioned competition. So that’s pretty cool.
