MMA Fighter Celebrates Victory By Tossing PokeBall at Opponent

Pokemon Go Mania is sweeping the nation and even hardened MMA fighters are getting in on the action. Michael “Venom” Page, a 29 year old welterweight fighting for the Bellator promotion, beat his opponent Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos last night with a flying knee to the head. As brutal as his finishing blow was, Page made headlines for his Pokemon-themed victory celebration.

Immediately after the ref called the match, Page rushed over to his corner, where one of his trainers handed him a Pokemon baseball cap and plush PokeBall. Rushing to the center of the octogon, Page turns to his fallen opponent and rolls the PokeBall at him, before celebrating with a victory pose. Here’s a video of the celebration, courtesy of Bellator’s Twitter.

Page’s victory celebration went viral, but it may be a while before we learn how his defeated opponent took the unique taunt. Santos underwent surgery after the match for a depressed skull fracture, caused by the flying knee (not by the PokeBall toss).

Pokemon Go is out in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe.