UFC star Michael 'Venom' Page's MMA highlight reel is straight out of a video game

If you're compiling a list of the most spectacular MMA fighters from the last 20 years, one name absolutely has to be on that list.

Michael "Venom" Page may have plied his trade outside of the UFC for much of his career, but the current No. 15-ranked UFC welterweight has built the sort of highlight reel that you'd rarely see outside of a martial arts movie or a video game.

Ahead of his bout with Shara "Bullet" Magomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend, Page posted a quickfire slideshow of some of his most iconic finishes. So, let's break down some of the most remarkable finishes you're likely to see in an MMA fight... all from the same man.

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The skull-crushing finale

WWE fans reading this will already know we've stolen the name of The Miz's longtime finishing move. But, unlike the former Real World contestant-turned-WWE superstar, Page actually did crush his opponent's skull with this move.

"MVP's" perfectly-timed jumping knee saw him connect perfectly to the middle of Evangelina "Cyborg" Santos' forehead, smashing his skull instantly. To add insult to a very bad injury, "MVP" rolled a Poke Ball across the cage in a Pokemon-themed post-fight celebration that only made the moment trend even longer on social media.

For those who thought Page's techniques were all flash, no bash, it was a big statement. Yes, he's flashy, but make no mistake, "MVP" is a dangerous man, as the X-ray pic shared the following day would illustrate in full, jaw-dropping detail.

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The check hook

In 2019, Bellator headed to the other side of the world to host an event in Saitama, Japan, and there was no better man than Page to put on a show for the Japanese fans as he faced off against former King of Pancrase, Shinsho Anzai.

Just as we saw with his jumping-knee KO above, Page once again showed his incredible ability to time his shots, but this time it was a much more straightforward strike that got the job done.

As Anzai lunged forward in an attempt to land a leaping left hook, Page unleashed a beautifully-timed check right hook landed flush and sent Anzai on a one-way ticket to the canvas.

The flying finisher

Facing an Irishman in Dublin is a daunting task, but "MVP" managed to win over the Irish fans with a stunning finish as he ended Kiely's fight-week jibes with a stunning flying-knee finish halfway through the first round of their bout at Bellator 227 in 2019.

Kiely had been attempting to get under Page’s skin all week, but when the action got underway, there was only one instigator. Page clowned Kiely on multiple occasions, and at one point was docked a point for pretending to take a selfie while hammering Kiely with ground and pound.

After receiving a telling-off from the referee, Page turned his attention to finishing the fight, and his trademark flying knee got the job done as he added Kiely to his highlight reel and won over the Dublin fans in the process.

The one-hitter quitter

Page is well known for his flashy, high-flying moves, but sometimes all you need is a well-timed overhand right.

And at Bellator London 2, MVP bounced, waited, and unloaded a sledgehammer of a right hand to flatten Italy's Giovanni Melillo in 107 seconds.

The kneecapper

Leg kicks are some of the most underestimated weapons in a fighter's arsenal, but usually you're taught to avoid kicking the knee directly as you can do as much damage to yourself as you can to your opponent.

That didn't seem to bother "MVP," who loaded up a heavy kick that appeared to be intended for Goiti Yamauchi's calf. But, instead of the calf muscle, Page's shin connected flush on Yamauchi's knee, instantly dislocating the Brazilian's kneecap in the process.

It was a nasty finish, and one that marked the occasion of Page's final appearance inside the Bellator cage. It remains Yamauchi's only career loss by stoppage.

The nose job

The array of strikes available to Page at any time is mind-bending... and nose bending, as Derek Anderson found out to his cost when he faced "MVP" at Bellator 258 in May 2021.

After throwing a number of feints at Anderson, Page found his opening and connected with a perfectly-timed high kick to the face that left Anderson sporting a nasty broken nose that eventually prompted the cageside doctor to wave off the fight..

The tornado kick

The finish that started it all. Page's MMA debut produced a highlight reel finish that still stands up as one of the most impressive you'll see from a debuting fighter.

The technique, a tornado kick, rarely works in an MMA fight, just because of the time it takes to execute it, and the fact that a fighter can see it coming.

But when you can throw a technique like that at 2x speed like Page can, it becomes a viable weapon, and his finish of Ben Dishman in London gave us a spectacular first glimpse of some of the incredible action to come from London's one and only "MVP."

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