So that big welterweight showdown that the MMA world has waited years for between Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) and Paul Daley that will be going down Saturday night at Bellator 216 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut? Turns out, it was all Michael Page’s idea, or so the undefeated phenom claims. And the timing was the deliberate:

“I wanted it, because I don’t believe he would have made it through to the final anyway,” Page said. “This is what I’ve been screaming for for a very long time now, I’ve been asking for this fight for ages. I’ve had contracts sent to me, like, I’m ready to go, and it just wasn’t reciprocated on the other side.”

The confidence MVP displays in the cage is matched by his words outside of it, as he makes it clear that whether he cruises to another win or must undergo adversity, he looks to ensure that his request of fighting Paul Daley in the first round will pay off with the currency of victory:

“I want a statement victory,” Page said. But the win means more than anything in terms of this grudge match. If I have to crawl across that finish line, that’s what I’m going to do.”

This showdown between Michael Page and Paul Daley will be a first round contest of the Bellator Grand Prix. The winner of the bout will go on to face Douglas Lima in the semi-finals.