Michael Page feels like he’s in limbo right now when it comes to the UFC matchmakers.
The former Bellator star was expected to make a big splash when he joined the UFC in 2024, and so far the results have been mostly positive. Competing at both welterweight and middleweight, “MVP” is 3-1 inside the octagon with wins over Jared Cannonier, the previously undefeated Shara Bullet, and Kevin Holland. However, his next fight on March 21 against Sam Patterson at UFC London feels like a step backwards in terms of name value, and Page is as confused as anyone as to why their bout was put together.
“You look at the co-main event, you look at the whole card in general and it’s not the most exciting,” Page told MMA Junkie. “I would have felt that a name like myself being on that card, I’m always going to go and show out always and make noise as I’ve always done, but I’m being positioned on the card in a weird way and I’ve been given an opponent, which is a bit of a weird opponent as well.
“I’m just wanting to fight, I don’t really want to wait, so it’s kind of like, let’s just do it, but it just feels like I’ve upset somebody.”
Page, 38, earned a reputation for spectacular finishes and viral highlights during his 10-year run with Bellator, where he emerged as a top contender and one of the faces of the promotion. However, he’s yet to end a fight inside the distance in the UFC, and his missing knockout power could be one reason why the matchmakers aren’t quite sure what to do with him.
“I think the only thing I could suggest based on the stuff I’ve done – although I feel like I’ve had some great fights- the only thing I could really suggest is I haven’t had a finish, so it’s like maybe they’ve looked to purchase somebody that is known for spectacular finishes and I haven’t quite achieved that yet, so it could possibly be that,” Page said. “That’s me just speculating. But that’s the only thing I could see, because I still feel like I’ve had some really exciting fights that people have really enjoyed. There’s been moments, even the UFC themselves have been promoting and posting, so I feel like even though I haven’t got the finish, I’ve put on a show.
“At the same time, it’s the UFC. They are marketed as the best mixed martial arts show in the world, so therefore it’s going to be a lot more difficult to finish guys and you see how the talent pool that is growing constantly all the time, so it’s always going to be difficult. That’s the only thing I can really put forward as to potentially being an issue.”
When Page steps into the cage with Patterson, he’ll be facing one of the welterweight division’s up-and-coming talents. Patterson has won four straight fights, all in the first round, and could vault into the contender conversation with a win over Page. Making matters more complicated for Page, the two have trained together in the past and maintain a friendly relationship.
After beating Cannonier at UFC 319 in August, Page says he immediately went on the prowl for his next opponent, but found himself repeatedly running into a wall. The top of the welterweight division is currently on hold as it awaits the next title fight for champion Islam Makhachev, and Page is frustrated by the lack of opportunities.
“I think the welterweight division in general just seems like a traffic jam,” Page said. “Nothing seems to be moving, which is annoying because if I felt like I was a bit more naturally bigger, I think middleweight is definitely the right path. I don’t have to keep questioning it after every fight. So there was a few other names that came on the board, again, still nothing exciting at all, but guys that were on winning streaks and stuff.
“I was able to confirm this because it got to a point where I was literally like, ‘Is the UFC lying about stuff?’ Because the amount of times somebody’s name came across and they were like, ‘Oh no, they’re not going to take it,’ to the point where we actually had to go and confirm, ask the coach, ‘Did you get offered the fight?’ Ask them how come they didn’t want to accept the fight, it’s like, ‘Yeah, they’re not interested in fighting MVP.’ At least I’m not being lied to.”
Page has always been comfortable calling his own shots, but so far that approach has yielded little when it comes to landing himself a marquee UFC opponent. Given his solid list of wins – and his unorthodox standup style – Page wonders if he’s become a victim of his own success.
“It feels like, again, the anomaly of my style is now kind of biting me a little bit because it makes people wanting to accept this kind of fight a bit more difficult,” Page said. “I’m kind of not sure what the UFC want or even feel or even how they feel about me and my style, so yeah, it’s a difficult one to really analyze how I move forward from this because this fight, I don’t feel it does too much for me even winning a fight outside of getting a highlight reel that makes them maybe want to push me a bit more.
“I definitely don’t feel like I’m in good favor with UFC at the moment.”
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On the one hand, I really like the Page-Patterson matchup, and I think Patterson deserves a step up in competition; on the other hand, Page makes a good point. Is it just his occasionally un-fan-friendly style that is scaring the matchmakers away from giving him a bigger name or is this just the role Page is expected to play at this stage of his career? Suffice to say, there’s a lot on the line at UFC London for both fighters. — Lee
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