Michael 'Venom' Page Fires Back at MMA Fans Following Sudden UFC Exit

Michael “Venom” Page appears to be taking things in stride following his somewhat unexpected exit from the UFC.

The former Bellator title challenger was in action last weekend as part of the main card for UFC Paris, which closed out with an impressive first-round stoppage from Salahdine Parnasse when he took on Dan Hooker in his UFC debut.

Page also got his hand raised two fights earlier when he took a unanimous decision over Nursulton Ruziboev, which brought the 39-year-old’s overall UFC record to 5-1 and was also his fourth win in a row.

No New UFC Contract for Michael Page After UFC Paris Win

“MVP” made headlines ahead of UFC Paris by promising that he would finally provide the UFC with the kind of highlight-reel finish the promotional brass likely expected when he was signed, but things didn’t quite play out that way at the Accor Arena.

Michael Venom Page (red gloves) fights Nursulton Ruziboev (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Page did win the second and third rounds on all three judges’ scorecards after being taken down by Ruziboev in the opening frame, but there were only 20 total strikes landed by both combatants after 15 minutes of action.

Following the event, several media members responsible for voting on the UFC media rankings were informed by the promotion that Page should not be included in their updated lists for the middleweight Top 15.

Michael Page Trolls MMA Fans Following UFC Exit

After fighting out his UFC contract, Page took to Instagram to make sure fans understand that he’s not especially bothered by their thoughts on either his last fight or the fact that the UFC won’t be offering him a new deal.

The 39-year-old joined the UFC in 2024 and defeated Kevin Holland in his debut at UFC 299 before falling to recent welterweight title challenger Ian Machado Garry, but a win over the formerly-undefeated Shara Magomedov in a middleweight bout last year kicked off Page’s current four-fight win streak.

Michael Page (red gloves) leaves the arena after the fight against Sam Patterson (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"MVP" Was Known for Highlight-Reel Knockouts During Bellator Career

Newer MMA fans could be forgiven for maybe not quite understanding the hype around Page given that all six of his UFC fights went the distance, but the London Shootfighters product was known as a very different fighter during his run with Bellator.

Douglas Lima (red gloves) and Michael Page (blue gloves) during Bellator 221 at Allstate Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

Although the early part of his Bellator career admittedly included several matchups against a questionable level of competition, Page secured 12 finishes out of his 19 appearances under the Bellator banner and won via knockout in 10 of those fights.

“MVP” suffered his first MMA loss when he was knocked out by Douglas Lima in 2019 but rebounded with a six-fight win streak, which was capped off by a split decision victory over Lima in their rematch at Bellator 267.

Michael Page (red gloves) reacts prior to the fight against Sam Patterson (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After coming one scorecard short in an interim welterweight title bid against Logan Storley, Page closed out his Bellator career with a 26-second finish of Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 292 and debuted with the UFC the following year.

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