LONDON – Bellator hasn’t yet had success in finding a replacement opponent for Roy Nelson after Mirko Cro Crop dropped out of their heavyweight headliner that was set for Bellator 200 on Friday.

But, hey, that one may end up sorting itself out. Should the injury bug strike Bellator 200 again, more specifically welterweight David Rickels, there could be a willing replacement in Michael Page.

“100 percent,” Page said with a laugh after open workouts for his Bellator 200 encounter with Rickels. “Because straight away, I’m going to have to go and eat now. I could just stop. I don’t have to cut no more weight. That’s the main reason.

“I don’t think he’s going to put a hand on me, anyway. People my weight can’t put hands on me. So, yeah, 100 percent.”

Jokes (hopefully?) aside, the plan is still to have “Venom” Page (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) meet “The Caveman” Rickels (19-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) at The SSE Arena in London, England. The main card welterweight bout airs on Paramount via same-day tape-delay.

It’s an important matchup for Page, not just because he gets to perform in front of a friendly English crowd for the second time in his Bellator career, but because he gets to put an end to an 18-month layoff.

“Being out for so long is ridiculously stressful,” Page said. “It’s hard to continue training, because you don’t have a goal. And then when you do and things go wrong, it’s hard to continue training again. And that’s the hardest thing. I’m lucky I’ve got a good team around me, coaches that want to motivate me, too, and just scare me a little bit.

“So I can’t slack myself, because one day off I’m getting a phone call like, ‘What’s going on. What are you doing? You should be in the gym.’ That just keeps me on track. But it’s still a difficult journey when you don’t have a fight ready.”

Still, there are positives to be taken from the time away during which Page had a victorious pro boxing debut. For starters, it makes returning all the more exciting. But, moreover, it was a time that forced a mentality change in 31-year-old Page, who believes he’s grown as an athlete and as a person.

“As stressful as it was, I managed to overcome a lot, and (I’m) just happy to be here now,” Page said.

Behind the scenes, Page says, there’s a lot that goes into keeping a busy schedule – “whether it be with the organization or whether it be personal.” But, regardless, “Venom” is still hoping to pick up the pace as he moves forward with his career.

“You guys get to see us on camera, but once we’re off-camera we still get to live a life,” Page said. “And, especially in London right now, life is difficult. A lot goes on behind that you have to kind of take into consideration. But I’d love to just be as active as I possibly can.”

That, of course, starts with Rickels.

When it comes to that meeting, Page and his opponent seem to see eye-to-eye on a few things. Both appreciate adding some showmanship to their performances. And both agree in that Rickels’ main danger lies in the experience he brings in.

While Page is no stranger to competition, with an extensive freestyle kickboxing past, fact is he hasn’t had that many chances to perform inside a cage. The ever-active Rickels, though, has done it 25 times. That, Page says, counts for “a hell of a lot” – even if he doesn’t see anything extraordinary in his competitor.

“He looks like another MMA fighter to me,” Page said. “I don’t see anything particularly – nothing that stands out to me in particular. But that experience there means if I make a mistake that I might have made in previous fights and been able to get away with, if I make a mistake with him, he’s going to capitalize.

“I’ve got to make that sure I’m able to get myself out of that situation. Or I need to make sure I’m on point so I’m not even making mistakes, everything I do is perfect.”

Clearly, there’s respect for Rickels here. But when it comes to another Bellator welterweight, with whom Page shares a bit of a turbulent past, “MVP” doesn’t seem too interested in exchanging pleasantries.

“Who is that?” Page answered, when asked about Paul Daley. “Might go by another name. What’s the other name?

“Is it … Or Paula? Is that Paula? That ‘Tampax’ Daley? To be fair, I don’t know what’s happened to him. I haven’t been paying attention, unfortunately.”

To hear more from Page, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 200, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.