Michael ‘Venom’ Page conquers ‘one-eyed pirate’ Sharaputdin Magomedov: “I’m the captain now”

UFC Saudi Arabia results: Michael Page becomes first to defeat Shara Magomedov at Riyadh in the co-main event bout.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page conquers ‘one-eyed pirate’ Sharaputdin Magomedov: “I’m the captain now”

UFC Saudi Arabia video: Michael Page strikes out, declares captainship over Shara Magomedov (Source: Instagram-threads.net › @ufc)

Shara Magomedov and Michael Page engaged in striker vs. striker skills battle at UFC Saudi Arabia. “Bullet” shot at MVP point blank. But the instinctive snake that is Page proved a body of work that was just too tough. Ahead of the bout, the duo vowed on no takedowns and stayed to it.

Shara Magomedov wanted UFC Saudi Arabia event headliner Israel Adesanya, but Page said to hold up. Michael Page challenged him with his signature bladed karate stance while the duo traded leg kicks. He kept stumbling, leaning, darting punches, and pushing against clinches. When the dust settled, he took a mickey out of Magomedov’s pirate persona. His domination and style quotient won over fans even more.

Everybody – look at me…Look at me…I am the captain, now…

Michael “Venom” Page post-fight at UFC Saudi Arabia
YouTube video

Michael Page found his magnum opus to be a Bellator point-striking sensation and skills cracker. He had grasped better defensive wrestling, but lost to Ian Garry before this. Hence, this time, he was going in, game for all. ‘MVP’ had his rival biting on all his feints and struggling to gap through in R1-2. Shara Magomedov was hesitant to shoot the trigger in the second as well.

FS Video

Page let his ‘Venom’ personality shine well, enchanting with his weird footwork, and tapping with point-fighting. It is something that only karate man Stephen Thompson does well. He kept teeing off with body kicks and point strikes every time “Bullet” closed in. Page even caught and popped his head back with a counter in R3. Page defeated In the end, it was unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

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Top reactions to Michael Page going to deep water and ending the ‘Pirate’ at UFC Saudi Arabia

Michael Page’s move to middleweight paid off on Saturday with him stalking through Shara Magomedov’s unbeaten run. Page (23-3 MMA, 17-2 BMMA, and 2-1 UFC) snagged one of the more meaningful striking domination in his career. Subsequently, that’s saying something given his body of work at Bellator.

Top UFC Saudi Arabia responses to Michael Page
Top UFC Saudi Arabia responses to Michael Page (Source: UFC News (@UFCNews) / X/IG – @ufc)

Here are the top reactions to the spectacular UFC Saudi Arabia co-main event fallout:

While Magomedov’s violent rap sheet continued to overlay in the rugs, there’s no denying that he was improving as a fighter. Shara “Bullet” went undefeated as a dynamic kickboxer, from fight to fight. His “Double Bullet” with a double backfist TKO on Armen Petrosyan at the UFC 308 PPV was also a clear KOTY contender. But Shara Magomedov met his stylistic ceiling in Michael Page and it showed.

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The leg kicks of Magomedov and his wild leans were still looming and potent to win. But Page proved why he was the top crop at Bellator and says he’ll be that here too. With the win, Page, 37, bounces back well and is a smooth 2-1 in his run.

After the fight, he said he wanted to keep fighting at 170, as he always hinted. His Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks)-esque “I’m the Captain Now,” quote could also be a subtle jab at Leon Edwards and his ‘look at me’ celebration after winning the 170-pound strap. Page has been angling for an all-out English affair with the Birmingham native for a while now. It could happen down the road if the UFC wants it.

Related: “Jon Jones has officially retired” – MMA fans go into frenzy as Shamil Gaziev secures walk-off KO at UFC Saudi Arabia