Michael “Venom” Page wants to see UFC fine trash talkers like Colby Covington

The newest addition to the UFC’s welterweight division thinks the trash talk between fighters in the sport has gone too far.

Last week saw two incidents of personal attacks, with Colby Covington insulting Leon Edwards’ late father and Dricus Du Plessis taking a dig at Sean Strickland for suffering abuse from his dad during his youth.

Former Bellator star Michael “Venom” Page, who UFC president Dana White announced will make his debut with the organization against Kevin Holland at UFC 299, weighed in on the state of trash talk in mixed martial arts during an appearance on The MMA Hour.

“What I’ve been seeing so far in combat sports, I hate. I don’t like people talking about people’s fathers, people’s wives, people’s girlfriends, people’s kids, all of that stuff. We need to go back to martial arts,” Page said.

“Everyone seems to have lost themselves a little bit,” he continued, adding he has “zero respect for people that feel the need to go that way. We’re skillful athletes, and that should be enough. I’m all for the banter, I’m all for the jokes and keeping it kind of friendly, and that should be enough to build a fight. We can keep the intensity, but it should stay between me and the person that’s fighting, and that’s it.”

Taking on noted mid-fight trash talker Kevin Holland, “MVP” thinks “The trash-talking is going to be good, but respectful.”

In the past, the UFC cut ties with Miguel Torres, a prominent WEC fighter, over reciting a rape joke from popular TV series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.  Nate Diaz was also fined $20,000 and suspended 90 days for a social media post in 2013.

Most prominently, the UFC’s highest selling pay-per-view, headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, devolved into a post-fight melee following a very personal buildup to the fight.

“Hopefully, they’ve seen that it’s getting a bit too much, and they tighten it up. But on a positive note, I think me and Holland are going to be the way it should be,” Page told The MMA Hour.

Michael “Venom” Page and Kevin Holland will face off at UFC 299, which will see Sean O’Malley defend his bantamweight title against Marlon “Chito” Vera in the main event. The event goes down from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida,  on March 9.