In the spectrum of those who are enthusiastic about unbeaten Michael Page and those who dismiss him as untested, David Rickels knows where he stands.

“I fall right in the middle,” Rickels told MMAjunkie. “Do I think Michael Page is a good fighter? Yes.

“Do I think he’s great? No.”

Rickels’ reasoning is quite simple: Page has been so “babied” throughout his six-year career that we don’t really know just who he is and what he’s capable of yet. But fear not: “The Caveman” is here to make sure that is no longer the case after Bellator 200.

“I want to show his heart,” Rickels said. “I want to see what Michael Page is made of. I want to bring the fight to him. I want him to feel punches. I want to make him fight. I want to see how much he’s going to be able to give back. How much heart does Michael Page have?

“Does he have the heart of a champion? And I really really feel like I’m going to be able to test that. I’m going to be able to put that pressure. Let’s see how long he can fight and how hard he can fight.”

Rickels (19-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) is not alone in the argument that “Venom” Page (12-0 MMA, 9-0 BMMA), whom he meets in a main-card bout next Friday at London’s SSE Arena, hasn’t exactly been fed to the sharks as he made his way up in Bellator’s welterweight division. But he’s also not the first fighter to present himself as Page’s first true test.

Battle-tested veteran Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, for instance, was confident he’d be the one to spoil Page’s party at Bellator 158 – and we all saw what happened then. It took a few attempts, but Fernando Gonzalez came after – and, while it was a much closer (and lot less exciting) bout, “MVP” still kept his spotless record.

So what makes Rickels think he’ll be different?

“I think that the problem with everybody that I watched him fight, they’re (expletive) scared,” Rickels said. “They all fight with fear. They’re worried about what he’s doing. They’re watching his show. He does the little show where he dances and does all that (expletive). They’re not worried about fighting and whooping his ass. And I’m a one-track mind when I get in there. I’m hunting you down, and I’m going for the kill. That’s exactly what it is.”

Rickels’ confidence is not exactly unwarranted. Coming off a three-fight winning streak, two of those knockouts, his sole losses since 2013 are by the hands of ex-champ Michael Chandler and perennial contender Patricky Freire.

Rickels most recently beat Adam Piccolotti, who just scored a big submission win over then-undefeated Carrington Banks, and he holds a win over grappling ace and UFC up-and-comer Davi Ramos.

But, other than his experience, there’s another big weapon that Rickels is carrying into this one: his state of mind. Not only has his weight cut been a breeze compared to his tough 155-pound outings, which makes him a healthier fighter, he’s fully relishing the enemy role as he steps onto Page’s turf.

“I just feel like I’m dangerous right now, period, but I’ve always fought my best when I’ve been happy, healthy, when I can take the pressure off of myself,” Rickels said. “It’s kind of cool to realize that, now that I’m not fighting in my own hometown anymore, how much pressure I had on myself then. I used to love going into guys’ backyards and fighting and beating them up.”

As for how, exactly, he intends to spoil the English party? Well, let’s start with how he’s not going to do it.

“I’ve never been a wrestler; I’m not going to start wrestling tomorrow just because everyone thinks that’s what I should do,” Rickels said. “Dude, I can barely take a dude down in the gym. I’m not going to start wrestling some dude who likes to throw jumping knees and (expletive). … I’m going to keep my head up, I’m going to keep a good defense, and I’m going to stalk him down and put my pressure on like I always do with everybody.”

If Rickels pulls off spoiling Page’s homecoming after an almost 18-month layoff from MMA, it’s certainly going to send a loud message. But, when it comes to the post-Page future, Rickels is not thinking much further than some vacations with his wife through Europe.

Rickels, it turns out, has been able to do some “smart (expletive)” with his money since he started fighting. He now owns a few businesses and has the luxury to fight not because he needs it to feed his family – but because he wants to. And that makes for an interesting relationship when it comes to his in-cage plans and expectations.

“This game is fun to me,” Rickels said. “Fighting is a just a fun game at this point. I don’t know what Bellator wants to do with me next, and I don’t really care. I just want to enjoy what I do. And what I love to do is to fight. So, as long as I’m enjoying this game, you’re going to see me fighting anybody – whenever, whomever.”

But, upon request, Rickels doesn’t mind singling out a name.

“Give me another really easy fight. Give me Dillon Danis,” Rickels said. “He’s got a lot of hype, too. That’s a fair fight, ain’t it? 1-0 vs. ‘Caveman.’ Yeah, that’s perfect.”

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