Michael “Venom” Page has responded to the news of his release from the UFC in typical MVP fashion.
Page signed a seven-fight deal with the UFC in 2024 and went 6-1 during the deal. But these fights weren’t always fun. Most of them were downright numb. “Venom” uses his lightning-fast reflexes to counterattack his opponents. When they stopped walking into his saw, nothing much happened.
The UFC usually likes to re-sign fighters before they compete in the final bout of their contract, but Page came to the UFC in Paris with no offer and no clear expectation of an exciting win or matchup. He victory over Nursulton Ruziboyev was another tepid affair with barely 20 significant strikes between the two.
“Stepping into the cage is a privilege I don’t take for granted and I’m looking forward to bigger challenges,” Page said diplomatically on Instagram after the win, awaiting word from the UFC on what’s next.
He didn’t have to wait long. on Monday, The page was removed From the UFC rankings. UFC CEO Dana White on Tuesday declared “What’s the fuss? I think it’s been pretty clear that he wasn’t re-signed.”
Page responded a few hours later with another post on Instagram: a picture of him pretending to hold up a massive boulder.
“I’m trying to deal with the opinions of the internet,” she wrote with a laughing emoji.
This will drop Page from the No. 8 spot in the middleweight rankings that he earned after leaving welterweight because no one in the top five would fight him. Undoubtedly, the debate will continue: Did the UFC blackmail him, or did he deserve the crappy matchmaking that led him to this accidental dump?
It was certainly no secret that the UFC wanted to see more offense from him during his last few fights, and that never happened. Page himself repeatedly promised this turn up the volume, only to return to most trolls in a minute and not much else. We’re sure another offer will pick him up and we’ll see if he can return highlighted reel KOs which were completely absent during his UFC run.
