Having had just over a week for #Bellator158 to pass by, the talk about Michael Venom Page has still not come to a halt following his spectacular win over Cyborg Santos.
MVP made a huge statement in the 170lbs division in stopping Santos and racking up his fourth win on the bounce under the Bellator banner.
But what’s next for MVP and do you feel he should be given a step up in opponent? Or should Bellator and his management play the waiting game with him? Should he fight Paul Daley next?
So many questions and variables as to what is next for the undefeated Welterweight that in true #WHOATV fashion we have compiled a list of five opponents we would love to see him in there with;
Paul Daley
This fight has been in the talks for a while according to both parties and was potentially going to take place at Bellator158 when both fighters were left without opponents. Style wise it’s a very intriguing bout, although with his size advantage it would be hard not to pick MVP in this one. Daley is tough as they come and certainly has the one punch power to stop anyone on any given night, although I think that size would make it very difficult for him to land anything without taking shots coming in, and as you know MVP has the ability to also stop a fight with one shot. It would be almost the passing of a guard if these two did get together inside the Cage and I think it could certainly be a high profile enough bout if Bellator are looking to return to the UK.
Josh Koscheck
Whilst its uncertain as to whether or not we will ever see Koscheck grace the cage again, I could see some merit in this fight being made. Koscheck was due to fight Daley at #Bellator158 but withdrew from the event and hasn’t really been heard since so why not book him against another Brit in his promotional debut. The bout would also serve MVP the opportunity to fight another “name” and put an end to the question as to how he would fare against a wrestler. Santos had some success in getting MVP to the ground in the first round of their bout but was unable to capitalise, so would be interesting to see MVP on his back with an NCAA Division 1 wrestler on top. The pre-fight hype alone for this fight would be guaranteed to get bums on seats.
Fernando Gonzalez
Third time lucky this one may actually take place and whilst it may now not have the same impact as it was initially supposed to (MVP fighting a more experienced guy), MVP still wants this fight and I feel that he deserves to have a choice in who he fights next. Whilst he may not be the most high profile named opponent, Gonzalez certainly is no slouch and has a huge amount of experience in comparison to MVP who has only had eleven professional bouts. This one could now seen as a bit of a back step for MVP given his victory over Santos but I still believe that Bellator should allow him a few more fights before really chucking him in with the lions and Gonzalez would be a good test if anything to make sure that MVP is ready for that next level.
Ben Henderson
I really like Henderson at 170lbs and whilst I understand he is going back to Lightweight for his next fight would love to see him take on MVP at 170lbs. Henderson is one of the most durable fighters on the Bellator roster in my eyes and whilst he has a few red spots on his record in recent years could argue that he hasn’t really ever looked in great danger other than the loss to RDA. He would be giving away a huge amount of size in fighting MVP but its something he did against Brandon Thatch and he was victorious in that one. I think he is probably at the stage in his career where he is looking for “money fights” and at the moment MVP would be a great opportunity for him to not only demand a big purse but also try to put a stop to the undefeated Brit.
Rory MacDonald
Whilst there has been no official announcement on the future of the Red King, I would really get behind this fight if he was to sign for the promotion. MacDonald is absolutely fearless inside the cage and you could guarantee that he would look to stand toe to toe with MVP and lay it all out on the line. He is coming off of the back of two losses but there is absolutely no denying that MacDonald is always a guy who is only one or two fights away from a Title shot in any promotion. Perhaps this one should sit at the bottom of the list given that he isn’t even on the Bellator roster at the moment but its definitely a “dream fight” that would definitely stand up as a main event on any card in anywhere in the world.