Michael 'Venom' Page irritated with politics of UFC welterweight division, blasts rivals

Yahoo

a day ago

For Michael "Venom" Page, the reason his Aug. 16 return at UFC 319 is at middleweight is simple — Jared Cannonier, Page said, was the only one who'd fight him. Even then, the Englishman had his doubts.
'I called out everybody but got no answers,' Page said on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show."
While speaking this week to Uncrowned, Page appeared to be in a no-man's land.
At age 38, and with wins over Paul Daley, Derek Anderson, Douglas Lima, Kevin Holland and most recently Shara "Bullet" Magomedov, Page feels like a veteran. But he doesn't feel he gets the same love or respect as most combat athletes with his level of experience. He's too much of a risk for other vets in the game, and refuses to fight below himself as a gatekeeper for up-and-coming guys.
Later this month at the United Center in Chicago, on the UFC 319 pay-per-view, Page fights Cannonier. It's a 185-pound contest that has great implications for the winner.
A win would crash Page, No. 15 at welterweight, into the UFC's middleweight rankings. For Cannonier, ranked No. 8, it's a chance to break free from a middling .500 run and revive his title campaign.
If Page keeps winning, he's confident he'll become unavoidable. A potential Battle of Britain against Leon Edwards, which Page has long called for, could become even bigger for 2026.
That Page is fighting a second time this year at middleweight raises questions about his status at 170 pounds, but, 'I wanted to go where the smoke is," he said.
The smoke, Page said, right now is at 185.
Page was hopeful that his victory over Magomedov, who is one of the UFC's most aggressively-marketed prospects, would have catapulted him into high-profile fights on marquee cards. He wanted to run amok at welterweight. 'But it doesn't look like welterweight [has many opportunities right now]. It seems to be political — who you can fight, who's ready,' said Page.
'After that last win [over Magomedov] I was expecting big names, and the name I got [offered], I was thinking, 'This doesn't make any sense,'" Page continued. "I beat one of your prospects. And the way it looked, if he had beaten me, he would have been in a title elimination and moving forward [up the division]. So what does that mean for me? He was a young, up-and-coming guy, talented. And I'd beaten him.'
Page was expecting multiple fight offers from the UFC — from all directions. He didn't hear anything. He was expecting big names, but said it was 'irritating' as those big names were never presented.
When those big names didn't come, Page wanted to bring himself to them instead. And so he issued public callouts. To Colby Covington. To Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. To anybody in the top 10 at welterweight.
'I thought that was the best way to make something happen,' Page said. 'There were no responses, at all, from anybody.'
Even the UFC told him: 'It's difficult to match you.'
'I don't like to play the avoiding game," Page said, "but people are being tactical about who they're fighting next.'
The Brit didn't want to sit on the sidelines to see the last few years of his 30s drift away. And so he considered fighting once again at 185, 'where these guys are a bit more ready, and willing [to compete]."
Cannonier, he said, "is an amazing fighter to share the ring with. So, why not?'
But, though Cannonier agreed to the fight, it was not without criticism. A fight against Page didn't advance things for him. The opponent, Cannonier said, is not even established at the weight.
'The ranking system has made things a bit more political about where people want to go, instead of just fighting,' Page said, in response. 'I'm a veteran in the game … but I'm still new to the UFC. And other vets aren't willing to fight an awkward style, that can be a bit of a headache for some people.'
Page said he finds himself 'in a weird situation.' Because, while other veterans may not want to fight him, he doesn't want to fight the new guys coming in. He's not a gatekeeper in the divisions in which he fights, he said.
At the end of the day, 'Jared accepted and signed the contract.'
Despite his frustrations, Page still likes the Cannonier bout. It's a sign of progression. It's also 'a bonus' that it's on the same card as a middleweight main event — UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis defends the belt against intimidating mauler Khamzat Chimaev in UFC 319's featured attraction.
Both du Plessis and Chimaev could be future opponents for Page.
But as for whether Page will stay at middleweight after Cannonier, or drop back down to welterweight, well, that depends on his opponents, he said.
'I'm in it for the big fights,' Page said. 'And I want to get to a title fight. I'm a person who can fight in both divisions. It's depending on the best path to the top.'
One box-office bout that could shake up welterweight, as well as stir national interest in the U.K., is one involving Page and ex-champ Edwards. 'If that's offered to me, I'd 100% accept [it],' Page said.
'But, if I'm told, 'Take this fight [against Cannonier] and you're in line for a title eliminator,' then I'll stay' at middleweight instead, he said.
One way Page can reinforce his credentials as a ranked UFC fighter is to replicate the violent nature of his Bellator knockouts. He famously put a dent in Evangelista Santos' skull. He hit Richard Kiely with a one-hitter-quitter. He slaughtered Anderson with a head kick.
He is yet to repeat that in the UFC, as his wins in the big league have only been via decision.
And that is not lost on Page.
'I've always wanted to get it,' he said, before analyzing his competition so far in the UFC. 'Kevin Holland is bloody tough. I had a very awkward fight with Ian Garry, and then came up in weight against Shara.'
It is also tougher to finish opponents at middleweight, than at welterweight, he said. But Page is eager to take on the challenge, so he's optimized his training to score knockouts against 185-pound fighters.
'There are shots that you land where other people would have fallen or wobbled,' Page said. 'I realize in this division, that one shot I'd normally catch, I need to land that three [or] four times. And that's when the damage starts to kick in.
'I've been doing extra fitness work to just land more, land more combinations. And keep the work going.'
'The goal is to always go in there and win by knockout,' Page finished. 'And I'd love to deliver that for the fans.'
Cannonier vs. Page is one of five main card fights at UFC 319.