Michael "Venom" Page on Khamzat Chimaev: "He's Not Normal" – Revelations from Joint Training

Michael "Venom" Page is gearing up for his appearance at UFC London, expressing high praise for Khamzat Chimaev's gym performance while questioning the current middleweight title shot pecking order that sees Sean Strickland slated to challenge the champion later this year.

Michael "Venom" Page Set for UFC London Return

Former Bellator standout Michael Page, who signed with the UFC in 2024 and currently ranks among the top 15 welterweights, is set to face fellow Englishman Sam Patterson in a welterweight bout at the O2 Arena on March 21st at UFC London. The card will be headlined by Lerone Murphy vs. Movsar Evloev. Page's opponent, Patterson, has demonstrated strong form with several stoppage victories since a challenging UFC debut in 2023.

The Training Connection Between Page and Khamzat Chimaev

In 2024, Page spent time training in Dubai alongside Khamzat Chimaev, as both prepared for significant UFC dates. This training period has become a notable topic among fighters and fans. Earlier, Irish contender Ian Garry's teammate, Caolan Loughran, claimed that Page "battered" Chimaev in sparring. However, Page later refuted this story, clarifying that the confusion arose because his teammate, Norbert Novényi Jr., was the one who actually sparred with Chimaev in those rounds.

Page described the camp as an opportunity to personally witness Chimaev's intense wrestling sessions on the mat and his approach to long training periods involving a constant rotation of fresh partners. The Chechen-born champion frequently cycled through entire rooms of training partners without any noticeable drop in his output.

Leading up to UFC London, Page revisited this experience, stating that he "had the pleasure of seeing Khamzat in the gym, working very closely with him," and labeled him "a monster" and "not normal" after observing his performance in live rounds. He emphasized that this perspective comes from firsthand elite-level experience, noting how much more challenging it is to truly appreciate Chimaev's pace, chain wrestling, and ability to control positions until one has shared the mat with him.

“I don't even think that fight should exist right now. I feel like Imavov deserved the fight, and that's the fight we should be talking about. But I've had the pleasure of seeing Khamzat in the gym, working very closely with him. That guy's a monster. He's not normal. Seeing him up close and personal, it was beautiful. He's going to be a tough person to beat.”

Chimaev – Strickland Title Bout Backdrop

Chimaev is scheduled to defend his UFC middleweight title against former champion Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9th in Newark. This will be his first title defense since securing the belt last August. The booking came after the promotion considered both Strickland and rising contender Nassourdine Imavov, who has accumulated a strong record but previously lost to Strickland in their January 2023 main event clash.

Page explicitly stated his belief that Imavov should have been next in line, remarking, "I feel like Imavov deserved the fight," even while acknowledging Chimaev would be "a tough person to beat" based on his training observations. From Page's perspective, while contenders like Imavov are closing in within the middleweight division, Chimaev's formidable gym performance suggests the champion remains an incredibly challenging opponent for anyone at 185 pounds.