Michael Page Reveals Near-Death Experience He Had In Tobago

Bellator welterweight Michael Page has narrated a harrowing near-death experience he went through while in Tobago in 2020.

Page is widely regarded as one of the most unorthodox and entertaining fighters in MMA. The 34-year-old boasts 20 professional MMA fights, falling on the wrong side of the result just once in his entire career.

“Venom,” who was born and resides in London, England, has deep connections to the Caribbean. His father hailed from Trinidad, while his mother was from Jamaica. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that his brother Kalon Kingsley Page chose to get married earlier this year in Tobago, the other island that makes up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Having defeated Shinsho Anzai at Bellator & Rizin: Japan months prior, MVP was in attendance for his sibling’s special day.

While the trip saw a joyous occasion take place, Page has revealed a tough experience he went through while he was on the southernmost Caribbean island, one which he believes could have taken his life.

“For my brother’s wedding, we was out in Tobago. He got married over there. This was a couple years ago.  We was down by the beach, a little cafe called ‘Waves.’ And we realize why the cafe was called Waves because the current there was ridiculously strong. I was in at my shins. The water’s in at my shins and it’s pulling me in,” said Page. “So we said to the kids none of the kids can even touch the water. It was only the adults that could go and swim. And even then, we’re like, ‘Make sure you’re careful and make sure you’re paying attention to each other,’ blah, blah, blah.

“So yeah, we’re having an amazing day, we come back up to the restaurant bay and just getting cleaned up and drying ourselves and getting changed and stuff. And one of the waiters were like, ‘Is your party all here?’ And we’re like, looking around, like, ‘Yeah. Why? Why?’ He’s like, ‘I feel someone is floating out there…’

“He came over so relaxed. And he’s like, ‘I feel someone is floating out there.’ So we look over, and we could see something. It looked like somebody was out there. So immediately, everybody is like, ‘What?!’ So I just ripped off my shirt and ran out,” added Page. “I swear to you I nearly died trying to get to him. Because the current is so mad. It was so difficult to get to him. I’m swimming, swimming, swimming. And every time I was swimming forward, it felt like I was getting pulled back. The water was kinda pulling me down and back. It was horrible. Luckily, somebody else, like a local, had swum out as well. 

“So literally as I got to the body, somebody else got there. It was somebody. He was face down. I flipped his body up so he face was out of the water. The other guy was pulling him to shore. And I was trying to keep his head up, so I had to be under water trying to keep his head up, then go up, then go back down.”

Tragically, the man, who turned out to be in his 70s and swam there everyday, passed away. Locals believe he may have had a heart attack while in the water and that nothing could have been done to save his life, despite the heroic efforts of Page.

We’re only days out from one of the most prolific rematches in #Bellator history – @PhenomLima vs. @MichaelPage247 2⃣.#Bellator267 | AT A NEW TIME! | 4pm ET/1pm PT @SHOSports 9pm BST on @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/gyqKjQcN8w

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) September 29, 2021

This Friday, Bellator will return to London with an event headlined by a blockbuster rematch between Michael Page and Douglas Lima. In the main event of Bellator 267, the two 170-pound stars will clash inside The SSE Arena, Wembley. England’s “Venom” will be headlining the first Bellator card to be held in his country’s capital since November 2019.

In front of his home fans, Page will look to avenge his defeat to the #1-ranked welterweight. If he succeeds in doing so, he’ll have extended his win streak to six. Since suffering his first loss in the sport against the Brazilian back in 2019, Page has looked unstoppable. His five-fight streak has featured four finishes and just one decision.

Lima, meanwhile, will look to rebound from back-to-back losses by adding another defeat to the record of MVP. After beating the Englishman at Bellator 221, “The Phenom” became a three-time Bellator Welterweight World Champion with a decision victory over Rory MacDonald five months later. However, a failed effort to capture the vacant middleweight belt, followed by a defeat to Yaroslav Amosov that left him beltless in Bellator, saw Lima succumb to consecutive defeats for the first time in over a decade.

With both men targeting a victory over the other as their route to the welterweight title, Friday’s main event is sure to bring fireworks.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at Bellator 267? Douglas Lima or Michael Page?

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