In case you somehow missed it, Pokémon GO has taken over the world. Or at least the parts of it that have the app. Millions of people have downloaded the app and play it constantly, and Pokémon GO is now being hailed as the greatest mobile game of all time. The augmented reality game allows fans to actually catch Pokémon in real life, causing people to walk around looking for the Pokémon.
The new game has brought Pokémon back into the mainstream, and fans everywhere are obsessed. One surprising fan of the new game is MMA fighter Michael “Venom” Page. The British fighter faced off against Evangelista Santos, also known as “Cyborg,” at the Bellator 158 main-card fight, according to MMA Fighting . The fight occurred on Saturday in London, England, and despite this being “the toughest test of his career,” according to MMA Fighting , Michael Page walked away with the victory after knocking Santos out with a flying knee in the second round.
Although Page’s finish was definitely MVP worthy, it’s what he did after that has fans talking. Grabbing a Pokémon hat and ball from someone on the sidelines, Page put on his hat with pride and showed the Pokeball to the crowd. He then rolled the ball at Santos, as if capturing him, and then struck the popular pose of Ash Ketchum, the main character of the Pokémon series, with a grin.
The moment was perfectly executed, and Page looked incredibly proud of his achievement. It’s clear that the MMA fighter isn’t just a fan of being in the ring, he’s also just as big a fan of Pokémon as the most of the world is these days. The video of Page’s finish and Pokémon finale is now going viral, which may have been Page’s plan all along.
According to SportsNet, Page is the first athlete to cash in on the Pokémon phenomenon, and he probably won’t be the last. Using a Pokeball to demonstrate his opponent’s defeat was an ingenious move that emphasized Page’s weakening/defeat of Santos. It wouldn’t be surprising to see other athletes in other sports pick up on this trend and take Page’s routine a step further. Maybe we’ll see athletes wearing a Pokéman trainer outfit or actually throw a Pokeball at their opponent, as is down in the game and show. Then again, that could turn ugly, so maybe they should just stick to rolling it.
Pokémon GO , which was released in the United States on July 6, has swept the nation, as it has in the UK and also India. Even Canada, where the app hasn’t even been officially released yet, Pokémon Go is already twice as popular as the dating app Tinder , according to SportsNet . Even if you’re not playing the game, you definitely know someone who is. Although the game has suffered some crashes and was even supposedly hacked by the hacking group PoodleCorp , crashing the game’s servers, according to the Independent , the app has seen wide success.
Pokémon fans both old and new are getting into the game, walking and driving from place to place just to “catch ’em all.” Crowds of people have been seen flooding places like Central Park and even going to police stations to catch Pokémon or get more Pokeballs from training centers. This game has become a huge phenomenon, and there’s no telling when all the hype will die down, but it probably won’t be anytime soon. As the game continues to expand and the bugs get fixed Pokémon Go will probably only get bigger and better.
Michael Page, along with every other Pokémon fan, will probably have even more fun to look forward to with Pokémon GO .
[Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images]