Luke Riley admits Michael ‘Venom’ Page should be UFC London’s co-main event instead of him
Riley has been rocketed up the card for just his second fight in the UFC after bagging a knockout win in his debut last November
Luke Riley has admitted that Michael Page is right to be frustrated by his placement on the UFC London card, conceding that Page “probably should be” in the co-main event instead of him. Widnes fighter Riley, who will walk out alongside teammate Paddy Pimblett on Saturday, has been propelled into a headliner spot for only his second fight in the company off the back of a stunning knockout win in his debut at UFC Qatar last November. The 26-year-old’s rapid rise has come at the expense of seasoned fighter “MVP”, who has made his annoyance at his booking for the event clear.
Page, 38, fights unranked Sam Patterson, an all-British bout between former training partners, on his desired return to welterweight from a successful side mission at middleweight, which saw him derail the hype train of Shara “Bullet” Magomedov before beating former title contender Jared Cannonier. While ready to prove he is worthy of the co-main slot, Riley - who faces Michael Aswell at the O2 Arena - recognises that veteran Page is deserving of a higher position on the card. Asked if Page had been hard done by, he said: “Being real, yeah, he probably has been.
Like I am real, that’s what I like, being authentic. He probably has been hard done by. He probably should be the co-main.
“But look, I like MVP. I’ve just been in Thailand with him, funnily enough, and I was speaking to MVP every day. It was the first time I've met him so he's a proper dude.