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Michael 'Venom' Page | Get Ready For A Different 'MVP'
With Big Fights At Welterweight Proving Hard To Come By, Michael “Venom” Page Is Eyeing A Different Path To UFC Gold – As A Middleweight
When Michael Page arrived in the UFC, there was a real buzz in the air, with the prospect of a host of exciting fights in the welterweight division. But, in something of a plot twist, the Englishman’s career has taken an unexpected turn.
After defeating Kevin Holland in his UFC debut then battling to the scorecards in a tight, tactical decision loss to Ian Machado Garry, the fights dried up at 170 pounds, as the Londoner found it hard to get suitable matchups in his optimal weight class.
Undeterred, Page decided to jump up a division to middleweight, where he took on the dangerous knockout artist Shara “Bullet” Magomedov. It was a fight full of danger and risk to Page, but it was a challenge he relished, and we saw flashes of the brilliance that made him a huge fan-favorite prior to his arrival in the UFC as he comprehensively outstruck Magomedov en route to a unanimous decision victory.
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Chatting to UFC.com ahead of UFC 319, Page revealed that he had hoped that his win at 185 would open the door to bigger fights back down at 170. But, once again, he was left disappointed.
“Shara Bullet is a person on the rise, a nice, hot prospect that looks like he's going places. And I feel like, if had he beaten me, he'd be talking about a title contention fight to get his title,” he explained.
“So I was expecting a really exciting fight there afterwards. I was offered a fight, and I was just confused at the offering. I’m not gonna disrespect anybody, so I won't name any names, but I (decided to) wait and see what comes up afterwards, and still nothing came.
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"So I was like, ‘Look, is there an exciting fight for me to have at middleweight?’ and they found it a lot quicker. So yeah, for me, welterweight is definitely where I want to go, but there seems to be more happening at middleweight. For me, I just want to get exciting fights, as regularly as possible, and I feel like middleweight is a place where I can actually make that happen.”
The next exciting fight of Page’s career takes place this weekend in Chicago, where he’ll take on former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier. It’s another fight at middleweight but, more importantly, it’s a fight that has Page, and the fans, excited, and that’s what really matters to the Londoner.
“I wanted somebody that, as soon as you get the name, everybody is like, ‘Oh! That's a big fight.’ It brings excitement to everybody just hearing the announcement. That's what I wanted,” he said
“And then also, he's a person ranked (ninth), so he's in that place where a win over him means I'm pushing forward towards a title. That's what I wanted. Those kinds of fights I just wasn't being offered at welterweight. So, for me, it was just perfect.”
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For Page, it’s more than opportunity to just get another exciting fight. It’s also the chance to establish himself as a legitimate contender in a new weight class. But, while Page recognizes the potential of a new chapter opening up, he realizes that everything hinges on his performances inside the Octagon.
“To be fair, it's difficult to say,” he admitted.
“Obviously, the focus is on Cannonier, and as soon as I get the result I want, in the fashion I want, then I'll look around and see what chips have fallen, and see what direction I want to move in.
“It's hard to plan in this game, because the game shifts and moves so quickly, sometimes over a few shows. So yeah, after once this one's finished, I'll sit down with the team again and go over exactly what the next step is.”
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Life at middleweight presents a number of different changes, and challenges, for Page, but in other areas, it makes his life a little bit happier.
“Food!” he laughed.
“Obviously it makes cutting weight so much easier. I'm under zero stress. I feel stronger. I feel like I'm carrying more power. So that helps.
“The negatives are everybody else is naturally that strong, and naturally hits that hard. So sometimes, even when I'm landing certain shots, I'm like, ‘If that hit a welterweight, they'll be on skatey legs right now,’ whereas at middleweight, I'm gonna have to find that shot three or four times before I get the results that I want.
“But, at the same time, because I'm new to middleweight, I haven't really spent enough time here to kind of develop my body in a way it needs to be to truly be a middleweight. I've got the skill to do it, but not necessarily the frame as of yet. But, if I make the decision that I'm going to stay up, then I’ll adjust my training camp.”
Oftentimes, when a fighter is said to be at a career crossroads, it feels like a negative. But for Page, it feels much more positive. He knows he can compete with the best at 170 pounds, and it now looks like a fresh avenue is opening up for him at 185, too.
Fight Week Focus: Dricus Du Plessis & Michael "Venom" Page | UFC 319
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Fight Week Focus: Dricus Du Plessis & Michael "Venom" Page | UFC 319
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Also adding to his positive mindset is his understanding and acceptance of the additional pressure that comes with fighting under the bright lights of the UFC’s Octagon.
Page was always a big showman earlier in his career with Bellator, where he often main evented big arena shows in London. But he admitted that he’s taken time to adapt and adjust to life in the Octagon. It’s meant that UFC fans have yet to see the very best of “MVP” inside the Octagon, but that could all be about to change.
“The magnitude of the UFC, the brand, just the history of it, does weigh on your shoulders. And I didn't feel like it did,” he explained.
“So I came in quite confident about my abilities, had my first fight, didn't really feel like it did anything, or I didn't really feel like I felt any nerves.
“The second fight definitely felt nervous. And it was the first time I felt that. And then third fight (against Magomedov), I was like, ‘OK, I can feel it now. Let me fix this. Let me adjust.’ It’s another reason why I was so eager to get back in there, because I'm like, this is me not performing at my best, and I’m still getting good results.
“So now I feel like I'm in this place where I'm comfortable, I'm calm, I feel like I belong here now, which is why I was excited for a fight. And then Jared Cannonier might be on the wrong end of that. But it’s good for me.”
Page has one of the most spectacular highlight reels in MMA, but he’s still chasing his first stoppage win in the UFC. Moving up to middleweight only makes that task harder, where fighters hit harder and can take more punishment. That’s exactly what he’s expecting from Cannonier this weekend at UFC 319.
But “MVP” thinks that everything is coming together. Comfortable in a new weight class, free of the stresses of any Octagon jitters and confident in his abilities, regardless of the weight class, Page said the stars are aligning for him to deliver a virtuoso performance and, potentially, score his first stoppage win in the Octagon against one of the toughest opponents of his career.
“I see a tough challenge, which I'm excited for. I see me hitting this guy a lot, and him still being there, and pushing back and getting up,” he said.
“But there's going to be a couple of shots where he decides, ‘Yeah, I'm out. I'm not doing this.’ I say, he decides, well, my fist or my knee will probably decide that, but he’ll realize he’ll be outmatched.
“Based on how I'm feeling right now, the UFC is definitely going to see a different MVP.”
UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev took place live from United Center in Chicago, Illinois on August 16, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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