Michael “Venom” Page started on a high note when he joined the UFC in early 2024. Now, he’s potentially one fight away from testing the free agency market all over again.
It’s been a mostly successful run for the former Bellator welterweight staple since he crossed over to the global MMA giant. In his five UFC appearances, Page (25-3) has only lost once — a unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry in June 2024. Yet, following a decisive victory over one-time middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier in August, Page was thrown in against welterweight prospect Sam Patterson this past March.
Page, 39, won the bout handily in a relatively uneventful decision, but it was a head-scratcher of a matchup to begin with, not just from a viewer’s perspective, but Page’s too. He now gets more of the same when he battles unheralded up-and-comer Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris in September.
Page vented his continued frustrations with his UFC matchmaking Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“In all honesty, it’s quite frustrating and has been,” Page told Uncrowned. “I feel like it’s crazy that I’ve come to the pinnacle of MMA, and trying to get names in the top 10 seems to be very, very difficult. Like, very, very difficult. The exchanges [with UFC matchmakers], I throw names forward, asking from the top and working my way down. [My manager] Audie [Attar] will present them; he’ll get back, ‘Oh, this person’s matched up. This person’s injured.’
“It’s excuse after excuse. Then I send another slate of names, and again comes back, same thing happens.”
“I’m just literally at the point where I’m like, bro, anybody that says yes — let me get in there with them,” Page added. “Nursulton is a great opponent, but I’m seeking bigger names. And I have been the last three fights. Nobody wants to seem to step in there.”
Page has been doing his best to make UFC officials aware of what kind of opposition he’s hoping to fight. He’s gone as far as to write out full lists, ranging between the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Even Ruziboev wasn’t a first choice, he said, similar to Patterson earlier this year.
“Before Sam, there were near 30 names we sent in two divisions,” Page said. “Then again, this time, I kind of made my mind up where I was like, look, the welterweight division is full of people that are trying to claim they’re next in line for the belt, so everybody’s sitting out. Everybody’s not taking risks. Nobody wants to fight. The division’s boring, man. So I made up my mind and said, cool, I’m gonna focus on middleweight and hope I can get more regular fights.
“Starting from the top and worked my way down, I finally got a fight. … I’m genuinely asking for everybody. It just feels crazy that I’m competing in the toughest combat game in the world, it’s supposed to be all the toughest guys, and nobody wants to fight.”
Ahead of the Patterson fight, Page was hoping to sit down with the UFC brass to talk about his future with the company and sort out all these possible fight options. That has yet to happen, he said.
With Ruziboev locked in, Page has one last fight to get through on his UFC contract, barring any pre-fight negotiations that could take place before September. It may have been awkward waters over this recent stretch, but Page still hopes something can be sorted.
“I don’t want it to be [my last UFC fight]. I just want to push for bigger fights,” Page said. “My goal is still to get a belt. I still feel more than capable. Fast, strong. I’m training and I feel great, so I know I can do it.
“I would like to get an extension [on my contract], and kind of get the UFC on the side, like, ‘OK, I want big names, a rough idea of how I would get to that belt. Who do I have to fight? What do I have to do?’ Give me the exact blueprint, then let me go at it.”
Page’s UFC loss to Garry ultimately led him to the middleweight division for an early 2025 fight against fan-favorite Sharaputdin Magomedov, who he defeated via unanimous decision. At the time, it felt like oddly fun matchmaking without any rankings impact.
If Page had to point to what could have been the turning point in his UFC treatment, he’d point to the Magomedov win. Yet regardless of the direction he’s gone in 2026, he has nothing but love for the UFC team. He just isn’t sure exactly how he’s viewed.
“I’m a fighter first. I don’t want to get too stressed about the politics and everything,” Page said. “Let me go in there, put on a performance, make them want me to come back and do it again.
“I haven’t a clue [if they still want me]. How I started, it felt exciting, then the last few fights, not so much. I’m not sure where I land with them. It’s very difficult to understand. But like I said, all I can do is just be a martial artist, a fighter, and go out there and try and put on the best performance I can.
“All I can do is try and be the best me on the day and get a positive response.”
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