Michael 'Venom' Page issues honest preview of Jared Cannonier fight ahead of UFC 319: "He's super powerful"

Michael Page believes Jared Cannonier will find it difficult to match his pace when they meet at UFC 319. The British striker faces the veteran middleweight contender on Aug. 16 at the United Center in Chicago.

Cannonier comes in off a comeback knockout win over Gregory Rodrigues that halted a two-fight skid. That result, Page says, showed the 41-year-old still carries danger in every exchange.

However, Page sees opportunities to exploit his style. He pointed to Cannonier’s tendency to target the legs early while leaving gaps for straight punches. Previewing the clash in an interview with MMA Junkie, Page said:

"Yeah, 100 percent he'll take me down. It'll be smart for him to take me down. He's super powerful. He was at heavyweight at one point, then to light heavyweight, then he's come down to middleweight. He's going to carry some of that natural power that he's had from years in his career. He's super powerful, very smart in how he does certain things, and picks his shots really, really well." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

He added:

"I still don't believe he's going to be anywhere near as fast as me, nowhere near, and that's what he's going to struggle in. Watching him against [Robert] Whittaker, because Whittaker's got a nice bounce, what he tried to do is like everybody... Chop your legs down first, but then leaves himself very open for jabs and shots down the middle. Every time he's gotten caught, is shots down the middle because he likes to open his hands and get those big hooks and land those big shots. But for me, speed kills."

Check out Michael 'Venom' Page's comments below (12:30):

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Michael 'Venom' Page open to one-off welterweight return for Leon Edwards clash

Away from the Jared Cannonier clash, Michael 'Venom' Page has hinted at a possible return to welterweight for a single marquee fight. Since moving to middleweight, he has scored a unanimous decision win over Shara Magomedov.

His loss to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 led him to chase bigger opportunities at 185 pounds, but he has not ruled out dropping back for the right opponent. Page has long targeted a fight with former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, seeing it as an ideal UK main event. Speaking in a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Page said:

"I’m in it for big fights, and at the same time, I do want to get to a title fight. How I see it now is I’m a person that can fight in both divisions, and depending on what the best path is to the top, which also includes exciting fights. For example, next year…they’d like to come back to the UK. I still think a Leon Edwards fight is a great fight for the UK.”