Michael “Venom” Page (MVP) beat Nursulton Ruziboev via unanimous decision at UFC Paris, which was the final fight on his contract.
(MVP speaking with Rob Smith Media for Pure Digital PR)
Coming into the bout, MVP had promised a devastating finish and said he would finally show his full potential to the UFC. The Englishman was signed to the UFC in 2024, highly regarded as one of the best fighters to be competing outside of the sport’s premier promotion. Many fans called for him to be signed during his stint in Bellator, hoping to see if he could replicate his form against elite competition.
So, once the deal was finally done and MVP was in the UFC, this got fans extremely excited to see some highlight reel finishes that he acquired in the likes of Bellator. Unfortunately for MVP, his UFC career has lacked any sort of highlights and this has led to a sour taste in the mouths of both the UFC and the fans.
After securing another decision victory at UFC Paris and improving his UFC record to 5-1, MVP was not given the opportunity to have a post-fight interview in the cage, which has happened now in his past two fights.
When asked by Rob Smith Media for Pure Digital PR why he thinks he was passed up yet again for an interview and how he feels about his current relationship with the UFC, MVP said.
“This is probably the answer to if the UFC happy with me or not. It is the same as last time; they weren’t happy with the performance.”
I still think it is unnecessary to do something like that, as you’re highlighting things a bit more instead of letting me say a couple of words and getting out.”
But yeah, that might answer everyone’s questions about how they feel about me.”
MVP has shared his desire to stay with the UFC, as he believes he still has what it takes to become a champion at middleweight.
However, recent reports state that the rankings panel received confirmation that MVP has not been made eligible for ranking, hinting that he has not been re-signed by the UFC.
This has led fans to question the current state of MMA and what it is the UFC actually values in their athletes, if they’re willing to pass up on someone who has only lost one fight in the promotion out of six outings.