Michael Web page continues to place himself in matchups within the fight sports activities face that go away the group a bit shocked.

“MVP” will face former WEC welterweight champion and UFC interim titleholder Carlos Condit within the headliner of Saturday’s Polaris 30 grappling card in London. The occasion streams completely on UFC Combat Go.

The longtime Bellator star, now UFC welterweight, is able to add extra thrilling issues to his résumé.

“I’d like to depart a legacy of being a real martial artist, like I can go wherever the combat takes me and be aggressive in these areas.” Web page informed MMA Preventing. “It’s positively a enjoyable that I appear to blindside lots of people on a regular basis and simply pick these random issues. However yeah, I’m excited for this one.”

Web page made his UFC debut at UFC 299 in March, defeating Kevin Holland through unanimous determination. “Venom” went on to face the undefeated Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June and misplaced an in depth determination in a combat many believed was Garry’s hardest up to now. The 37-year-old had plans so as to add to his martial arts arsenal previous to competing at Worldwide Combat Week, and after sharing that point within the octagon with Garry, it turned a no brainer.

How did Web page get matched up with Condit? It wasn’t the unique plan.

“So after my final combat — actually, earlier than my final combat — I used to be already saying to myself, I wished to take a little bit little bit of outing simply to concentrate on grappling,” Web page defined. “After which after the final combat, I used to be like, yeah, 100%, I actually wish to simply concentrate on the grappling aspect of issues. After which a good friend of mine is sweet mates with one of many combat organizers and combat matchmakers of Polaris, and he simply talked about it clearly, effectively he’s from my health club and he simply talked about it to say like, ‘Oh yeah, if you happen to’re going to try this, would you be concerned about doing this [in] Polaris?’

“I used to be like, ‘Really, yeah, provides me one thing to work in direction of in addition to simply bettering my jiu-jitsu. In order that’s how they initially began they usually truly find yourself chatting with the matchmaker. Initially, it was presupposed to be Donald Cerrone, truly. … after which he sort of went darkish so I’m undecided what occurred on his aspect, however they stated, simply in case, let’s search for another folks as a result of the responses should not coming anymore, after which clearly Carlos, his title got here up and it’s like, yeah, one other nice match, only a beast within the sport, somebody that I respect as effectively, I’ve watched earlier than. and I assumed, yeah, nonetheless one other nice combat. A terrific match up, and now we’re right here.”

Condit retired from MMA after dropping a choice to Max Griffin at UFC 264 in July 2021. “Pure Born Killer” competed in 24 UFC/WEC bouts, successful the WEC welterweight title in March 2007, after which defending in thrice earlier than transferring over to the UFC. Condit captured the interim UFC welterweight belt with a victory over Nick Diaz at at UFC 143 in February 2012 earlier than dropping through unanimous determination to Georges St-Pierre 9 months later at UFC 154 within the Combat of the Evening.

The fan-friendly fighter would get another crack at UFC gold, dropping a controversial break up determination to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195 in January 2016 in MMA Preventing’s Combat of the 12 months.

For Web page, sharing the mat with Condit will probably be an honor, and the outcome shouldn’t be as essential as what the encounter will imply in his martial arts journey.

“In all honesty, it’s simply the expertise, full cease,” Web page stated. “One side of my sport that I wish to enhance on is the grappling — however not in the best way, possibly, folks may suppose. I really feel the area I wish to enhance on is the grappling underneath the lights. It’s very completely different. Now, I grapple repeatedly within the health club, and I’ve been for a few years and I like grappling. I truly do love jiu-jitsu.

“Clearly, once I’m combating, I don’t care to take it to a spot that I’m weaker than when it comes to my strengths — [which] is my placing — so it’s not a spot I wish to take it to. However I actually do take pleasure in jiu-jitsu. I do discover right here’s been just a few matches the place I get to a sure areas of grappling and I find yourself being in like a aware state of, ‘Oh yeah, I ought to do that now, I ought to try this,’ and you’ll’t combat in a combat being aware like that. It needs to be drilled, it needs to be unconscious, you must be reactive, in any other case you might be 10-20 steps behind. For those who’re having to undergo a thought course of as a result of they’ve moved on, they’ve moved on.

“So it’s that aspect. That’s why Polaris has actually intrigued me as a result of I used to be like, ‘Really it permits me to coach my BJJ, however then additionally expertise it underneath the lights with folks watching and with that strain. So I actually wish to simply try this. That’s the one expertise I wish to take away from it. Apart from that, like I stated, I simply love being a martial artist and simply exhibiting my expertise in each side.”