Michael ‘Venom’ Page isn’t too pleased with the promotion for their matchmaking at UFC London.
Since signing with the UFC in 2024, Michael ‘Venom’ Page has only suffered one loss in the cage, with that coming against Ian Machado Garry in June 2024.
During his time in the premier promotion, the 38-year-old has scored wins over Kevin Holland, Shara Magomedov, and Jared Cannonier.
Despite his success in the sport, ‘Venom’ has been matched up against unranked welterweight prospect Sam Patterson for UFC London this March 21.
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Michael Page thinks he’s ‘upset somebody’ at the UFC after strange fight booking
Following his loss to the Irishman, Page made the decision to move up to the middleweight division, where he subsequently picked up two impressive wins, earning himself a spot in the rankings.
But despite being ranked at 185lbs, now that the Brit is moving back down to 170lbs, he is having to fight outside of the rankings against an unranked opponent, which has annoyed the 38-year-old.
Patterson is currently on an impressive four-fight win streak since his move up from lightweight.
And because of the matchmaking and the fact that his fight comes as the main card opener, he feels as though he is out of favor with the promotion.
“Not (a fight) that I expected or was even looking for,” Page told MMAJunkie.
“It’s annoying for me because it’s not just an opponent that feels further down the ladder, he’s also someone that I’ve worked with before as well in preparation for other fights, so I know him well, so it’s another reason why I didn’t really want to have this fight.
“More so because again, I came here for big fights, I came here for big names, since my last fight I’ve been asking for absolutely everybody and for different reasons it seems no one is willing to take the fight.
“It’s definitely not the fight I was looking for… Definitely not a fight I wanted… I’m not sure what winning a fight like this means outside of a potential highlight reel.
“I don’t feel like I’m in good favor with the UFC at the moment… I would’ve felt like a name like myself I felt I would’ve been positioned (higher up the card)… It feels like I’ve upset somebody,” he continued.
Michael Page could be being penalized for his fight style
Although he has beat some top names since his move to the UFC, he is yet to have scored a finish, with all of his wins having come by decision.
And over the past few months, it has become clear that the promotion is penalizing fighters who aren’t classed as ‘exciting’.
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