Tyron Woodley received guidance from a ‘Spider’-like striker.
There’s just over a week to go until all eyes are on the toughest test of Jake Paul’s boxing career at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
After his exhibition fight with Gervonta Davis was canceled in November, Paul will instead face Anthony Joshua in a pro heavyweight bout.
Many in the mixed martial arts world have been hoping to see ‘The Problem Child’ face a legitimate knockout artist in boxing, but their hopes to see Paul’s run in the ring violently ended is not the only reason they may be tuning in.
MMA fans could also have a vested interest in the December 19 card owing to the presence of two former UFC champions who will do battle.
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Michael ‘Venom’ Page aided Tyron Woodley’s training during Road House 2 filming
In addition to Paul’s showdown with Joshua, and world title defenses for Alycia Baumgardner and Caroline Dubois, two of the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s former opponents will collide.
Woodley will box Anderson Silva in a six-round cruiserweight contest that marks the former welterweight champion’s first fight since a brutal knockout loss to Paul four years ago. ‘The Spider’, meanwhile, lost to the Cleveland native on the scorecards in 2022.
The bout has come on short notice, with the Brazilian replacing the injured Chris Weidman. Woodley’s preparation has come at the same time as filming for Road House 2. Fortunately, he’s joined in the cast by a man with clear similarities to Silva.
“I’m doing a fighting movie right now, so a lot of us are training and getting ready for fight scenes,” Woodley told BettingLounge.
“There are a lot of martial artists around, and specifically Michael ‘Venom’ Page, who is a perfect replica to train with to get ready for Anderson. It’s been a blessing in disguise (working on the same movie).
“More than just a fighter, he’s got a phenomenal mind for the sport. He’s almost stepped into a coaching role for me, especially with accountability. I feel comfortable with him saying, ‘You need to do this more, don’t do that,’ because he fights a similar style to Silva: flashy, elusive, open-space striker, very quick, hard to hit, hard to grab.
“So pinning him in a corner of the ring, landing shots on him, dealing with his unpredictability gives you the same type of anxiety someone would feel preparing for Anderson,” he added.
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Michael ‘Venom’ Page wanted to do ‘even more’ for MMA than Anderson Silva
Page has long been compared to Silva owing to both men’s flashy and unique striking styles, even during the Englishman’s early days under the Bellator banner.
Before knocking out Charlie Ontiveros in 2015, ‘Venom’ welcomed the comparisons but suggested he plans to do “even more” than Silva in MMA.
“In my eyes, I know I’m going to be one of the biggest names in MMA and that’s going to be because of the dominance I know I’ll be able to do,” Page told MMA Mania.
“The comparisons (to Silva), to be fair, I’m not annoyed about it at all. The guy that they’re comparing me to is an absolute legend and in the direction I want to go.
“But I want to take what he’s done for MMA and do even more,” he added.
The Londoner went on to accumulate a 16-2 record in Bellator before finally joining the UFC, where he is in pursuit of his first title shot on the sport’s biggest stage.
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