UFC welterweight contender Micheal ‘Venom’ Page is looking ahead of his next fight with Ian Machado for a possible clash with number one ranked Kamaru Usman.
Page spoke with Chamatkar Sandhu in an interview about the path he sees to UFC gold which started at UFC 299 with a win over Kevin Holland.
MVP sees the Ian Garry fight on June 29th at UFC 303 as the perfect springboard to the top of the division.
“He’s an Irish guy that’s doing he’s doing really well … he’s [ranked] 7th, which is my lucky number,” Page said. “So that’s that’s another reason why I was like, ‘Yep. I want that.’ And it propels me into the top 5. So it’s exactly where I wanna be. I don’t wanna waste any time.”
From there Page believes he’s one more fight away from earning a title shot on home turf in England.
“If I wanna bring it back to the UK, there will most likely be one more fight,” he said.
“And then they usually do a show in March or something. So if I can get one more fight by the end of the year, that’d be perfect. Perfect way to sign off the year.”
“Finish Ian. Maybe ask for Usman. You know? Get a big fight next. He’s No. 1 ranked. Like I said, there’s no point wasting time. Let’s jump up. Let’s go. Usman, if he’s happy to go, we go. Get that win, and then there’s no debate after that. It’s like no, I deserve the belt.”
The former Welterweight champion Usman ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ last stepped into the cage in 2023 when he replaced an injured Paulo Costa, to face Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout at UFC 294.
Usman lost the fight via majority decision in what was his middleweight MMA debut.
Usman’s possible fight with Page could still take some time to come to fruition, but the Briton is so sure of his plans on beating his next opponent, Garry?
“I’ve got about ten different ways to hurt this guy, and they’re all horrible,” he said with a smile. “So he can pick.”
For insight into his lethal capabilities inside the octagon, Page referenced how he took care of business in his first UFC fight against the top rated Holland.
“You know, Kevin Holland as a first fight, for anybody, it’s a crazy first fight,” Page said. “People saw what I did there. I know my ability. I’m comfortable with anybody up there. So I’m just looking to just get up there as quickly as possible.”
“You can see [my] popularity has gone up. You see the respect level. Especially after that first fight and how I handled Kevin, who is an amazing athlete, high level. He’s come straight back, broke someone’s arm. He’s a tough competitor.”
‘Get Ready For 25 Minutes Of Pain’
“The way I handled him, they saw the frustration in his eyes and how he struggled to handle me,” he continued. “I think there’s loads of respect. But it’s interesting, I’ve been telling you guys this for a long time, you guys just don’t listen. Before, I was ‘crushing cans,’ and now everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you can actually fight.’”
Tag: kickboxer
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One of the most technically gifted mixed martial arts MMA fighters form Nigeria Horatius Rage Alonu will be shouldering the weight of the nation as he steps into the cage today at EFC 113.
Standing in the way of the Nigerian combat sports powerhouse is submission specialist and homeboy Cole Henning the Hitman who possesses a win loss record of 5-4 with 3 knockout wins.
Despite a limited time for preparation, Alonu who has a record of 10 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws is looking forward to beating his South African opponent in one of the main card fights of the 13 bout EFC 113.
“Am going there to win. 8 didn’t come to play around. Despite the fact that I didn’t prepare very well, but my mind is cool, am calm, am confident, by the grace of God I will win,” said Alonu.
“I expect anything and everything but I want to come out there with my hands raised high.”
Having left behind a heavily pregnant wife who is also a kickboxer and a son, Rage is eager to lock down a win over Henning so that he can rejoin his family in a joyous mood. -
A fusion of combat sports and showbiz is about to redefine Nigeria’s entertainment industry as the 2024 Celebrity Global Fight Concert launches in Lagos.
Addressing a press briefing in Lagos, the convener of the project and international mixed Martial Arts champion Loveth ‘Nigerian Terminator’ Ekufu explained that the impending showpiece has got far reaching positive impact on the county’s grassroots sports development, tourism and movie industry.
“This event will create a crime free environment because we are motivating every young boy and girl out there. So get up and be a part of this event,” Ekufu exclaimed.
“We are going to be visiting a lot of places. We are going to visit the prisons, we are going to visit rehabilitation centres. We want to create this impact that no matter what you are facing, your mental health is very important.”
The Lagos media event which also unveiled the policewoman Ekufu as an international combat sports champion had in attendance celebrities like veteran musician Zakky Azzay.
The torch bearing musician gave huge kudos to Ekufu for her efforts to put together the event, stating that the kickboxing champion has laid the path to her glory after active years.
“I think she is not just a champion. She’s a champion with brains. She’s looking to the future, she’s looking at her resignation. Most mistakes people on top make is that they don’t think of tomorrow, they don’t think of the future, they don’t think about what will actually happen when thay are no longer actively performing,” said Azzay.
For what holds in the future for Loveth’s foray into the entertainment industry.in Nigeria, Azzay describes what’s to come for her with powerful words.
“She is going to be a force in the entertainment industry, whether you like it or not, that’s both music, acting, Nollywood. She’s going to have her own event with the way she’s going now and she’s still a champion. The fact she’s a champion now will attract more people to her. She will not be able to achieve this once she’s no longer a champion, but if she seeks this attraction and creates this platform she’s doing now, she remains a champion forever.”
The Celebrity Global Fight Concert scheduled between 29th November and 3rd December 2024 will showcase activities like crossover boxing contests, amateur combat sports display, comedy, creative arts, music, among others. -
Talented Nigerian boxers will soon benefit from a planned national League.
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development Senator John Enoh emphasized the urgent need for the establishment of a national boxing championship after meeting with a promoter of the sports in Abuja.
Senator Enoh who facilitated a partnership with Yucateco Boxing Promotion stressed that such a league would not only provide a structured platform for competition but also serve as a catalyst for identifying and nurturing emerging talent.
The collaborative effort signals a significant step forward in enhancing the visibility and support for boxing within the country.
“The cornerstone and future of our sports resides at the grassroots level thus I am excited to engage with individuals who work at the grassroots level,” remarked Senator Enoh.
“Our country has a glorious past in boxing, but it is gradually losing that glory. Nigerians have the innate ability to excel in any sports, including boxing.
“Having won Olympic gold medals in long jump and football we should win a gold medal in boxing.
“Through strategic partnerships such as this with Yucateco Boxing Promotion, we aim to tap into the vast talent pool within our nation and provide avenues for aspiring boxers to excel on both national and international platforms.”
The partnership between the Ministry of Sports Development and Yucateco Boxing Promotion is expected to yield a range of initiatives aimed at nurturing talent, organizing competitions, and providing necessary support structures for athletes across Nigeria.
By leveraging the expertise and resources of YBP, the Ministry will foster a thriving boxing ecosystem that empowers athletes and contributes to the overall development of sports in the country. -
A legendary fall plus three unblemished records characterized Dambe Warriors League DWL’s Circuit Fight 09 tournament that captivated overflowing crowds last weekend at the Ado Bayero Square in Kano.
It is clear that the audience for DWL is growing in leaps and bounds because for the first time in history, Nigeria is proudly delivering its homegrown combat sport of Dambe to a greater number of domestic and international audiences than ever before via in-person and streaming options.
The 9-fight contest exploded with devastating Knockouts in the lightweight division where Kudawa dismantled Sisco in Round 2 and Chindo sent Autan Ali Kanin Bello to sleep in Round 1.
Sisco desperately needs a victory in the final fight in the season on February 18th to avoid being expelled from the League, while Chindo and Kudawa are fighting for a chance to compete in SuperFight Two.
But the shock of the evening came when newcomer Yar Mage shocked Zayyanu, who was previously undefeated.
The victory sent the crowd into a frenzy as the legend Zayyanu proved that he was after all human, losing by one point, 87-86.
In the Middleweight category, Zazu executed a convincing knockout of former top-ranked warrior Bahagon Dogo Maitakwasara, while Ondo facilitated a beatdown of legend Dan Nigeria by a score of 90-82.
If Maitakwasara loses in two weeks, he may be relegated from the League in what would be a huge disappointment for the once promising fighter.
And, in arguably the most anticipated matchup in the division, Ramadan silenced his doubters with a convincing 89-84 defeat of recently promoted warrior Shaaban.
Both warriors were previously undefeated, with Ramadan now being only warrior who has yet to lose in his Dambe Warriors career.
Lastly, but certainly not the least, the most famous Heavyweights treated the sellout Kano crowd to some vicious victories.
Dogo Maitakwasara showed he is still a formidable force with a dominating win over Dage, while Dutse knocked out Sani in Round 3.
Ali Kanin Bello threw his weight against housemate Dogon Shamsu and reigned supreme with a score of 86-83 in the end.
Bello joins Yar Mage and Ramadan as the only undefeated Season Two warriors.Dambe Warriors League Season 02 Standings
Sponsors and Partners MTN, Bet9ja, Hero Hunter Power Bikes, Infinite Energy Drinks, Indomie, Hypo, Power Oil, Colgate, Pop Cola, Amstel Malta, and Aiico are already gearing up for Circuit Fight 10 on February 18th in Kaduna and are proud to bring Dambe to Nigerians across the country.
To catch all the content this past Sunday in Kano, download the exclusive Dambe Warriors app today on Android or iOS, and follow the Dambe Warriors on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X.
For support and news stories: woramangra@yahoo.com or via WhatsApp on +2348084193706.
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King of kickboxing and champion Rico Verhoeven of Holland vs interim belt holder Nigeria’s Tariq Osaro: live play-by-play at the Glory Collision 6 main event, from the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
Round 1
Cookie with a low kick. Rico answers with one of his own. Cookie with a one-two. Rico feiniting. Cookie with a hard low kick. Rico switches stances. Cookie wings a big right and misses. Cookie with a low kick.
Rico with a hard low kick. Cookie answers with a right straight. Rico with a jab to the body. Cookie with a combination in the corner. They tie up. Rico with a hard left jab down the pipe. They tie up and the round ends.
Round 2
Rico with a kick to the middle. Rico with a combo up top and a left low kick. Cookie with a knee up the middle. Cookie switches stances. Rico with a kick to the middle. They tie up.Left jab by Rico. Cookie with a jab to the middle. Rico with a low kick and a huge right. And another.
Rico switches stances now. Another big right by Rico that snaps Cookie’s head back. Cookie with a winging right that partially lands. Rico counters a big hook with a low kick. Cookie with a one-two to the body. Rico with a hard right up top.
Round 3
Rico feinting the jab. High kick to the head partially lands for Rico. Kick to the ribs by Rico followed by a snappy left that grazes Cookie’s shoulder. Another body kick by Rico. Reaching jab to the middle by Rico. Low kick by Cookie followed by a one-two up top. Rico answers with a combo. Cookie with a nice right up top.
Cookie with an uppercut before tying up. Rico with a beautiful combination up top that falls short. Cookie responds with a big winging left that also falls short. They tie up in the corner. Rico with a hard kick to the ribs. Nice overhand right by Rico as the round ends. Note: Rico’s right shin is pretty wrecked.
Round 4
Left to the body by Cookie. Nice left up top by Cookie puts Rico on notice. Nice combo by Cookie lands up top. Rico with a double jab and a kick to the body. They tie up in the corner. Rico with a low kick.
Nice one-two to the body by Rico. One-two by Rico is blocked and they tie up again. Low kick by Rico. High kick by Rico lands. Cookie with an uppercut inside. Round over.
Round 5
Rico feinting and Cookie dives in with a left. They tie up. Body kick by Rico. They tie up. Left kick to the ribs by Rico. They tie up. The referee is warning Cookie about holding. Knee to the ribs by Rico. Cookie answers with a combo. Another kick to the ribs by Rico followed by a nice right up top.
They tie up. Low kick by Rico. High kick by Cookie is partially blocked. Low kick by Rico. Straight right by Cookie. They tie up as the crowd boos. Nice high kick by Rico. Right by Cookie grazes Rico and they tie up as the round ends.
Official Decision
Rico Verhoeven (60-10) 🇳🇱 def. Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro (25-2-1) 🇳🇬 by unanimous decision (49-47, 50-46, 50-45×3); heavyweight (title fight)
Co-Main Event| GLORY Light Heavyweight Title:
Donegi Abena (27-9, 7 KO) def. Mohamed Touchassie (15-1, 12 KO) via unanimous decision (50-45 x 5).
GLORY Middleweight Title:
Donovan Wisse (20-1, 10 KO) def. Michael Boapeah (16-4-1, 7 KO) unanimous decision (50-44 x 2, 49-45, 48-46).
Welterweight:
Hamicha (41-2, 30 KO) def. Diaguely Camara (24-5-1, 10 KO) split decision (29-28 x 4, 28-29).
Middleweight:
Ulric Bokeme (32-4, 17 KO) def. Serkan Ozcaglayan (45-9, 36 KO) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 4).
Welterweight:
Chico Kwasi (42-5, 22 KO) def. Jay Overmeer (29-6, 15 KO) via split decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28 x 2, 28-29).
Light Heavyweight:
Stefan Latescu (17-2, 8 KO) def. Ibrahim El Bouni (41-9-1, 22 KO) via TKO, round 2, 1:00.
Catchweight 72 kg:
Abraham Vidales (16-2, 13 KO) def. Ahmad Chikh Mousa (58-9-1, 28 KO) via TKO, round 1, 1:14.
Welterweight:
Don Sno (3-1, 2 KO) def. Gino Van Steenis (1-1, 1 KO) via TKO, round 2, 2:59.
Welterweight:
Ismail Ouzgni (4-1, 1 KO) def. Robin Ciric (21-7, 7 KO) via unanimous decision (30-26 x 3, 29-27 x 2)
Welterweight:
Figuereido Landman (2-1) def. Petros Freitas (21-6, 12 KO) via split decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27, 28-29). -
Nigerian interim-heavyweight champ Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro (25-2-1, 13 KO) has got some tough challenger job against long reigning champion Rico Verhoeven (60-10, 20 KO) today 4 November 2023 in the Glory Collision 6 main event, live from the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
Glory Kickboxing interim heavyweight champion Tariq Osaro of Nigeria
The 28 year old Osaro won the interim title at Collision 5 in June, beating Antonio Plazibat with a fifth round stoppage while the Dutch champion Verhoeven hasn’t lost since 2015, though he’s yet to fight in over a year.
Yesterday’s weigh-in between both gladiators got fight fans drooling for a potentially brutal contest that will crown the undisputed heavyweight king of kickboxing.
In the co-main event, another undisputed champion will be crowned as Donegi Abena (26-9, 7 KO) meets late replacement Mohamed Touchassie (15-0, 12 KO).
Stepping up on just four days’ notice and coming up from middleweight, the undefeated Touchassie is aiming to cause an upset.
However, Abena knows the challenge ahead and is fully focused on making his first title defense.
Middleweight champ Donovan Wisse (19-1, 10 KO) puts his title on the line against number one contender Michael Boapeah (16-3-1, 7 KO).
Wisse has looked unstoppable so far during his title run but now he faces an in-form Michael Boapeah who holds a win over the only man to beat Wisse.
The welterweight division sees top ranked stars go head-to-head as Hamicha (40-2, 30 KO)takes on Diaguely Camara (24-4-1, 10 KO) and Jay Overmeer (29-5, 15 KO) meets Chico Kwasi (41-5, 22 KO).
Elsewhere on the card, former title challenger Serkan Ozcaglayan (45-8, 36 KO) collides with Ulric Bokeme (31-4, 17 KO), title hopefuls Ibrahim El Bouni (41-8-1, 22 KO) and Stefan Latescu (16-2, 7 KO) meet in the light heavyweight division, and a truly exciting match-up between the number one ranked Abraham Vidales (15-2, 12 KO) and number two ranked Ahmad Chikh Mousa (58-8-1, 28 KO) will kick-off the main card.
In the free GLORY COLLISION 6 prelims, ‘House of GLORY’ fighters will all settle their scores from the hit reality TV show.
Don Sno (2-1, 1 KO) meets Gino Van Steenis (1-0, 1 KO) and Robin Ciric (21-6, 7 KO) faces Isma l Ouzgni (3-1, 1 KO).
GLORY COLLISION 6 Weigh-In Results
Main Event
Undisputed GLORY Heavyweight Title
#C Rico Verhoeven (122.4 kg/269.8 lb) vs. #IC Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro (127.2 kg/280.4 lb)
Co-Main Event
Undisputed GLORY Light Heavyweight Title
#C Donegi Abena (95 kg/ 209.4 lb) vs. Mohamed Touchassie (90.7 kg/200 lb)
GLORY Middleweight Title
#C Donovan Wisse (84.9 kg/187 lb) vs. #1 Michael Boapeah (84.2 kg/185.6 lb)
Welterweight
#2 Hamicha (76.9 kg/169.5 lb) vs. #9 Diaguely Camara (76.8 kg/169.3 lb)
Middleweight
#2 Serkan Ozcaglayan (83.8 kg/184.7 lb) vs. #5 Ulric Bokeme (84.9 kg/187.2 lb)
Welterweight
#1 Jay Overmeer (77 kg/169.7 lb) vs. #4 Chico Kwasi (76.7 kg/169 lb)
Light Heavyweight
#3 Ibrahim El Bouni (94.2 kg/207.6 lb) vs. #6 Stefan Latescu (94.1 kg/207.5 lb)
Catchweight 72 kg
#1 Abraham Vidales (64.8 kg/142.8 lb) vs. #2 Ahmad Chikh Mousa (66.6 kg/146.8 lb)
Preliminary Card
Welterweight
Don Sno (76.8 kg/169.3 lb) vs. Gino Van Steenis (76.8 kg/169.3 lb)
Welterweight
#5 Robin Ciric (77 kg/169.7 lb) vs. Ismael Ouzgni (76.8 kg/169.3 lb) -
Fast rising Nigeria’s combat sports specialist Tariq Osaro has finally landed the chance to become the undisputed Glory Kickboxing World Heavyweight champion.
Interim champ Osaro (25-2-1, 13 KO) will collide with champion Rico Verhoeven (60-10, 20 KO) at GLORY COLLISION 6 on 4 November 2023 to determine who is the undisputed GLORY heavyweight champion.
This mega-fight will officially take place at the GelreDome in Arnhem in the Netherlands, a venue that has become synonymous with historic nights in GLORY over the years.
Verhoeven has been away from the GLORY ring since his all-time classic fight against Jamal Ben Saddik at GLORY COLLISION 3 back in 2021.
A knee injury halted his return to action earlier this year but now he has finally been given all clear to make his highly anticipated GLORY comeback.
The 34-year-old has risen to the top of the kickboxing game thanks to his phenomenal wins over Badr Hari, Gokhan Saki, Benjamin Adegbuyi, Peter Aerts, Errol Zimmerman, and many more legends.
He holds the record for the most title defenses (10) in GLORY history and is currently on an incredible 16-fight undefeated streak stretching back almost a decade.
However, during his absence a new champion has burst onto the scene.
Over the past year, Tariq ‘Cookie’ Osaro has had a breakout debut year in GLORY with six incredible performances with KO after KO that has made him a new promotional star.
Most recently the Nigerian giant defeated the heavily favourite Antonio Plazibat with a devastating knockout in the main event of GLORY COLLISION 5 in June to capture the interim-heavyweight title.
Immediately after this victory, Osaro sent a clear and direct message to Verhoeven, who was watching from the stands; “get as ready as possible, I’m coming for the title!”