Michael ‘Venom’ Page scores CRAZY FLYING KNEE KO to silence hometown crowd at Bellator Dublin (VIDEO)

A protracted war of words between Bellator standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Dublin’s own Richard Kiely was conclusively won in the Irish capital by the Englishman, as he finished the SBG fighter with a spectacular flying knee.

Kiely had predicted that he would upset the odds in advance of what was by the far the biggest fight of his career but the Dubliner, who comes from a similar kickboxing background as his opponent, was unable to match Page’s quickness and array of unusual strikes. 

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The two men came close to blows at a media engagement several weeks ago and that animosity continued into the cage, as Kiely got a remonstration from the referee Dan Miragliotta for an obscene gesture he’d directed at Page early in the fight. ‘MVP’ was then docked a point by the referee moments later, for what was adjudged to be theatrical ‘showboating’ in the cage. 

However, once the fight began to take shape it was clear that Page had a significant advantage compared to his inexperienced opponent. Known for his flashy moves in the cage, Page danced his way through exchanges with typical flair before the end came in somewhat bizarre fashion as he landed a flying knee before Kiely stumbled backwards and fell to his back. 

The referee called the bout off and Page extended his career record to an impressive 15-1, but the controversy didn’t end there. Speaking to the media after the fight, Page said that Miragliotta had some choice words for him immediately after the bout.

“He pushed me at the end and called me a piece of sh*t,” Page alleged. “Nobody should do that. That says to me there’s something personal there. I don’t know what it is, but I demand an apology. He’s never refereeing me.

“My coach heard it and told him to come upstairs and go outside. We’re from London Shoot, and if you know London Shoot, we do not mess about.

“I demand an apology from him and I still don’t want him to referee me again,” Page said. “It was very unprofessional of him, I don’t know what it is, but there’s something there.”

Page also stated that he is keen to avenge the only defeat of his career, as he eyes a second fight against Douglas Lima. ‘MVP’ will have to wait, however, as Lima is currently scheduled to face Rory MacDonald in a welterweight title bout in October.