Why Michael Page will be happy if Shara Magomedov shoots for takedown at UFC Saudi Arabia

Michael Page believes Shara Magomedov won’t resort to grappling him – at least not at the start.

Page (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on Magomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a middleweight bout that co-headlines UFC Fight Night 250 on Feb. 1 at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+). Page is accustomed to having to defensively wrestle in his fights and even had to in his most recent outing against fellow striker Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June. Page lost the fight by unanimous decision.

But fending off takedowns against Magomedov? “MVP” isn’t sure if that will be the case.

“If he does (shoot), it means the fight is going my way and aggressively my way,” Page said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “Because I think he will be a lot more stubborn in believing in his ability. So I think I’d definitely be landing some crazy shots if he decides to go for a takedown.

“Because in his mind, he believes he’s the best when it comes to the striking game. It will take a few knocks before he decides to change that, and it might be too little, too late. So I doubt it, but I think he’ll be very bloodied up if he is going for a takedown.”

Magomedov is coming off a Knockout of the Year contender at UFC 308, when he landed a double backfist finish of Armen Petrosyan. 12 of his 15 professional wins have come by knockout.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Saudi Arabia.