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McCarthy defends claim, says Michael Page has better early record than Anderson Silva

During the Bellator Japan broadcast more than a week ago, former referee turned color commentator “Big John” McCarthy stated how he thinks Michael “Venom” Page holds a better record than Anderson Silva. Given the nature of such a controversial comment, it drew criticism from fans.

In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast he co-hosts with Bellator lightweight Josh Thomson, McCarthy explained the logic behind his statement.

“I’m not talking about Anderson over his entire career,” McCarthy said (transcript by The Body Lock MMA). “If you want to break his career into sections, I can say this and say at the beginning, his first 16, 17, 18 fights, Anderson Silva had decent competition at times, good competition at times, and bad competition at other times.