Michael Page has found his new combat sports home after a head-scratching UFC run.
Page was not re-signed by the UFC following his decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris in September, improving his promotional record to 5-1. Despite being ranked in two different divisions, the UFC couldn’t wait to let Page enter free agency, and this past Saturday, “MVP” was announced as the newest signing to Misfits Boxing for a multi-fight deal.
“Venom” spoke about his decision following the announcement, and couldn’t be happier to express himself creatively, which he couldn’t do in the UFC.
“To be fair, this one happened relatively quickly,” Page told The Stomping Ground. “We kind of didn’t know as recent as three or four days back, it still wasn’t 100 percent confirmed where we’re going. But yeah, this makes sense.
“Like I said out there, I feel free of the shackles. I’m a very creative person — my walkouts, my entrances, my exits — and I wasn’t allowed to do that. And I feel like here, they’re literally like, ”Look, we want you to be yourself.“ That’s going to help me be my best self.”
While Page had success from a wins and losses perspective, his fights left a bit to be desired. But it seemed like the writing was on the wall almost immediately for Page’s UFC run, as his signing was, essentially, a throwaway portion of a Dana White post-event press conference. Page’s lone UFC loss came against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June 2024.
The 39-year-old knows more could’ve been accomplished in the UFC, but he’s excited to put a fresh coat of paint on his next chapter of competition.
“For me, it’s a shame,” Page explained. “I just feel like there’s so much more the UFC could be doing for fighters. Regardless, whether you like them, hate them, they are the biggest combat show in terms of MMA. So you have to value them, there’s some ridiculously talented fighters.
“But I went in there, and I was top-10 in two divisions, I was calling out everybody, wasn’t getting any feedback. Again, [I] felt very restricted, so it’s a shame because I felt like there was more fights, big fights that could be had. But here, I feel free. The big fights, the big names that are out there, that are away from other shows, it’s all going to happen.”