Page lavishes praise on ‘exceptional martial artist’ and ‘like-minded’ Aspinall

Published 01/03/2024 at 15:07 GMT

Michael Page is set to make his UFC debut in March, and he put some polish to his preparations for his fight with Kevin Holland by working in training with Tom Aspinall. Page feels Aspinall can be an inspiration for future generations, while he also cast doubt on whether Conor McGregor would make a return to the Octagon. Page will be in action at UFC 299.

MMA fighter Michael Page is seen in attendance during the UFC Fight Night at The O2 Arena on July 22, 2023 in London, England

Image credit: Getty Images

Michael Page has revealed that a training session with Tom Aspinall reaffirmed his belief that his career is on the right path.

After spending the majority of his MMA career with Bellator, Page signed a deal with UFC last year and is set to make his debut at UFC 299 next weekend –

.

Page is due to face Kevin Holland in a welterweight clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Sunday, March 10.

The 36-year-old joined heavyweight fighter and fellow Brit Aspinall for a recent training session.

Aspinall made a positive impression on Page, who described him as an “exceptional person.”

“Training with Tom Aspinall was great, just because of the character he is,” Page told TNT Sports. “I think he is an exceptional person, martial artist and he is someone I would like to idolise at the top of his game, which he is.”

Page feels Aspinall can be an inspirational figure for the next generation of fighters.

“There’s a lot of talk about how fighters are conducting themselves,” Page said. “Having seen Tom Aspinall, he is the kind of person and mixed martial artist that I want youngsters to idolise themselves with, knowing that they don’t need to run their mouth, being loud, being brash and being exceptionally rude in order to get to the top, there are other ways.

“He is an exceptional martial artist, a lovely person and I enjoyed working with him.”

Page said his spell working with Aspinall drummed home that his career is progressing as he had hoped.

“Sometimes the one key thing that tends to happen, you come across like-minded people and it reaffirms what you are doing and what you are doing with your coaches,” Page said. “It is just a case of reaffirming it.

“When you hear it so often from the same person it is sometimes hard to absorb, so when you hear it from a different voice, from someone you might look up to or appreciate, it lands a little better.

“We had that mutual respect, so I am sure we reaffirmed a lot of stuff for each other.”

The rumoured return to the Octagon of Conor McGregor has not moved any closer to being realised, and Page does not know if it will happen.

“As a fan, it would have been nice,” Page said when asked about the possible return of McGregor. “Everyone was searching for that one big thing for [UFC] 300. But with regard to him coming back, it is hard to tell.

“Until I see it locked in and I see him walking out on a stage for a weigh-in. Even then, until I see him walking out into the cage it is not even happening. Hopefully it does.”

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