Meet Michael ‘Venom’ Web page, spotlight reel KO king and breaker of skulls (significantly) | UFC 299

Final Combating Championship (UFC) newcomer, Michael Web page, will battle veteran finisher, Kevin Holland, later TONIGHT (Sat., March 9, 2024) at UFC 299 in Kaseya Enviornment in Miami, Florida.

“Venom” could also be a debuting athlete, however he’s removed from an ordinary Contenders Sequence beginner. Web page lower his enamel in Bellator for a couple of decade, being introduced up via the ranks in frustratingly gradual style. The silver lining, nevertheless, is that alongside the best way, Web page established himself as a standout striker with a novel penchant for wildly flashing finishes.

That is the person who really broke his opponent’s cranium (see it right here), one of many scariest accidents in blended martial arts (MMA) historical past. He’s additionally taken selfies whereas beating up his opponent, thrown a Pokeball at a slept foe, and brought on Mike Perry in a bareknuckle boxing match (watch highlights). Will he contender for UFC gold? There’s no such assure, however “MVP” stays a captivating addition to the Welterweight roster.

Let’s take a better have a look at his ability set:

Placing

A life-long martial artist, Web page has a ridiculous construct for a Welterweight kickboxer, standing 6’3” with a 79-inch attain. He’s a novel and lethal striker, in a position to create large collisions due to his capability to regulate and manipulate distance.

The very first thing to notice about Web page is his stance. His stance could be very conventional martial arts based mostly, totally side-on and together with his palms low. Web page is reliant solely on distance and head motion to maintain him protected, as a result of his palms are virtually by no means up. This stance does carry with it different risks as properly, notably a weak point to the calf kick the Douglas Lima exploited of their first match again in 2019.

All kinds and stances carry some weaknesses, nevertheless, and there are large benefits to Web page’s method too. Most notably, Web page’s side-on method will increase that already large wingspan. When he strikes into the jab, it covers a surprising quantity of distance and lands with a major affect — it’s the kind of shot that drops opponents.

One other vital element to notice about Web page’s stance is that he’s at all times in a position to explode in any path. His entrance foot will typically relaxation flat, however that again heel is at all times off the mat, permitting him to leap ahead, pull again, or pivot in both path at a moments discover. Opponents typically assume he’s flat-footed and lunge at him, just for Web page to pivot off and concurrently crack them with an angled jab, made extra highly effective by their very own ahead momentum.

Web page is famously a showman within the ring, loads prepared to speak to his opponent or mime taking part in basketball within the cage. This showmanship helps egg his opponent into counter photographs, positive, but it surely additionally helps in maintaining Web page unfastened. When Web page is relaxed, he’s always shifting and feinting, maintaining his opponent uncertain of exactly what’s subsequent. Like Israel Adesanya or Anderson Silva or most different rangy kickboxers, Web page isn’t the kind to throw punches-in-bunches, however glorious feinting and distance administration tends to make sure his photographs are correct nonetheless.

Often, it begins with the jab. Web page will pump his shoulder in basic style or rotate his proper like he’s throwing an underhanded softball pitch, however the thought is to cover that fast flash of the jab. That’s his opening offense and distance finder, a check of whether or not he can step into the fitting hand closely.

When Web page throws the fitting hand, he sprints into it. Once more, this does carry threat: if Web page is timed and hit on the best way in, it’s going to harm him badly. Nonetheless, as a result of Web page flies ahead into the cross — typically actually leaping ahead with each ft into the punch — he tends to shut distance much more quickly than his opponent expects, throwing off their very own distance. Web page will use this operating proper to provoke and on the counter, interrupting his foe’s mixture or kick by springing into the punch.

A standard technique amongst striker’s with a conventional martial arts background is to cheat the again foot ahead. Once more, that again foot is the one propelling Web page ahead into his proper hand, flying knee, or leaping kick. The nearer that again foot is to his opponent, the extra all of the sudden these photographs are going to affect their goal. Due to this fact, if Web page’s again foot is straight beneath his heart of gravity relatively than behind him, he ought to be thought of coiled like a spring and able to assault.

cover that shift? Web page normally does so with feints. As he exhibits shoulder pump or really flicks a jab, Web page’s proper leg strikes beneath him whereas his opponent is distracted. Now, he can actually explode ahead together with his subsequent motion. This footwork will also be hidden with easy rhythm, as Web page bounces ahead and out, ahead and out in repetition. In some unspecified time in the future, he received’t fairly bounce out, and as a substitute use that ahead motion to carry the rear foot in and hearth ahead a second time.

Web page’s lead leg change kick is a strong weapon that depends on that again foot coming ahead beneath him as properly. As a result of he’s hiding that shift in positioning, his left leg comes up rapidly to the mid-section or head and might actually catch his opponent off-guard. Generally, he’ll bounce into the kick for added aptitude, and this technique may load up spinning kicks.

A lot of Web page’s greatest connections come when his opponents swing at him. Web page excels as a counter puncher as a result of he bullies reactions out of his opponent. Proper on the first bell, Web page will press his opponent with fixed feints, stiff jabs, and palms by his waist. That’s downright irritating for knowledgeable fighter, and most will need to even the rating.

Most can’t match Web page’s size, explosiveness, or footwork trickery. To Web page, it’s apparent after they intend to strike, and he’s generally in a position to burst ahead and land first. The fitting hand is his most regular weapon, however the identical idea is why he’s in a position to land flying knees with such consistency.

Wrestling

Web page has sometimes wrestled offensively, largely trying to time double legs as opponents step in or cowl up alongside the fence. Notably, he used his wrestling to edge out Paul Daley in an all-time disappointing 2019 contest.

The larger dialog right here is stopping takedowns. Traditionally, Web page’s distance administration and lanky construct are sufficient to close down many takedowns. It’s powerful to off-balance him with a single leg within the open, and towards the fence, Web page does properly to unfold his base huge and deny his opponent’s makes an attempt to attach palms on the double.

Web page did present some wrestling inexperience towards four-time All-American wrestler Logan Storley, nevertheless. Whereas he managed to cease Storley from doubling off, Storley was in a position to end the only leg takedown through fireman’s carry a number of instances — not one thing that ought to be occurring in an MMA battle on the elite stage. Usually, this occurred as a result of Web page failed to interrupt his opponent’s posture. He didn’t press down on the top or crank closely on the whizzer, permitting Storley to repeatedly work till a takedown end materialized.

On the intense facet, Web page by no means allowed Storley to do a lot together with his prime place both, regularly working to attempt to rise up. As soon as once more, nevertheless, a scarcity of fundamentals value him, as he didn’t separate his foe’s palms and was regularly put again on the ground for that error.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Web page’s most up-to-date submission win got here in 2016 towards Jeremie Holloway through straight ankle lock. That’s a neat enjoyable truth, but it surely doesn’t really suggest a lot about his precise skills.

The Storley battle is extra related. In that five-round bout, Web page by no means confirmed a lot of an offensive guard recreation. He was (rightfully) extra targeted on working again to his ft, however typically, a little bit of submission menace helps in that mission. Web page’s guard didn’t show that aspect of hazard, and thus Storley was in a position to focus solely on holding him down for lengthy durations of time.

Conclusion

Web page is a dynamic striker who nonetheless doesn’t have a lot expertise towards the very best on the earth. There’s each probability he can flounder, however there’s additionally a slim chance that the longtime Bellator standout is each bit nearly as good as he believes himself to be. Both manner, it ought to be fairly enjoyable discovering out!

Andrew Richardson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, is knowledgeable fighter who trains at Group Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. Along with studying alongside world-class expertise, Andrew has scouted opponents and developed successful methods for a number of of the game’s most elite fighters.

Keep in mind that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of all the UFC 299 battle card proper right here, beginning with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches on-line, that are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET), earlier than the pay-per-view (PPV) essential card begin time at 10 p.m. ET (additionally on ESPN+).

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