'MVP' was hoping more ranked opponents would be willing to step in the Octagon with him
By Brian Campbell Mar 18, 2026 at 10:34 am ET • 4 min read 
Getty Images Despite a 3-1 record since coming to UFC in 2024 and respectable wins across two divisions, Michael "Venom" Page has quickly found out that his greatest strengths as a dynamic striker might have produced his current biggest weakness when it comes to his frustration with matchmaking.
Page (24-3), the 38-year-old former Bellator MMA star from London, returns to his home city on Saturday at UFC Fight Night inside the O2 Arena when he faces former sparring partner and countryman Sam Patterson (14-2) in a featured welterweight bout.
After victories inside the Octagon over Kevin Holland, unbeaten Shara "Bullet" Magamedov and former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier, Page has been outspoken in saying how much he expected to draw an even bigger name for his return, particularly one that could elevate him closer to a title shot at 170 or 185 pounds. The problem, according to "MVP," is that a number of potential suitors were uninterested in taking the risk.
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"It's extremely, extremely frustrating, more so because I'm excited to just make big [fights] at the moment," Page told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "I was expecting, coming to the UFC, that's exactly what I would be gifted with because I felt that a lot of people would want to challenge me. I made quite a lot of loud noise outside the UFC so I thought a lot of UFC guys would be saying, 'Yeah, but he's not going to be able to do that with a lot of us.'
"I got some great fights and I just feel like after people have seen how I have dealt with some of the fighters, they kind of believe the hype and are less likely or less willing to put themselves to the test against that style."
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Even as he closes in on 40, Page has retained an incredible level of quickness on his feet and a fast-twitch counterstriking style that is made more difficult by the fact that he fluidly switches stances throughout. Page often stands with his hands down directly in front of his opponents, almost daring them to throw the first strike.
Even his one UFC defeat -- a decision loss to top welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry in 2024 -- saw Page's tricky offensive style force his opponent into relying on his wrestling to secure a close win.
"I've been blessed with the style that has been gifted to me," Page said. "It's a style that hasn't actually really leaned into the MMA world as of yet, which means I'm always the kind of first that anybody has ever had to deal with that kind of style, which gives me a massive advantage. It's very frustrating, it's very fast and it's very dynamic. The distance control is unlike any other striker in the sport that you will ever see."
Despite fighting twice in his first two years as a UFC fighter following a 10-year run in Bellator that saw him post a record of 17-2, Page expected to be fighting upwards of three to four times per year to maximize his window within the Octagon. His return this weekend snaps a seven-month layoff following his impressive win over Cannonier at UFC 319 and it wasn't until Patterson accepted the challenge that Page finally secured his return, just in time for UFC London.
Patterson, a 29-year-old native of Walford, England, has recorded four straight wins -- all by stoppage -- since absorbing a first-round knockout loss to Yanal Ashmouz in his 2023 UFC debut. With a similar height and reach to the 6-foot-3 Page, Patterson was called upon by "MVP" as a sparring partner ahead of his first three UFC bouts, all of which came against tall and lengthy strikers.
"[Patterson] is a young beast. He's going to be carefree, he's coming here knowing that he has got everything to gain and nothing to lose," Page said. "He learns really quickly and I know that firsthand as we worked together before. He has devastating power with four first-round finishes. He has an opportunity here to claim a rank for himself and potentially get a big win so he's definitely going to be dangerous."
While Page admits fighting someone he knows so well was something neither he nor Patterson wanted to do, they decided over a phone call before the fight was announced that they would both move forward and embrace the opportunity.
"We both kind of said that this is what [UFC] is pushing for so let's just put on a good show," Page said. "It's all love and respect for him because I know he's a great fighter and I think he's really going to become something regardless of the result of this fight."
Page said he was unhappy to hear that UFC named former champion Sean Strickland as the first challenger to middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev's new reign, believing Nassourdine Imavov was more deserving. And although Page remains unsure whether his path to a UFC title fight would come quicker at welterweight or middleweight, he's committed to taking on the best available opponent at any given time.
"[This fight] is just about reintroducing myself to the welterweight division, striking fear back in everybody to say I'm back and to just put on an entertaining, spectacular and historic occasion, which I always strive to do," Page said. "II feel great at welterweight but it's just about getting fights. If people aren't willing to fight me, I think I might have to go back [to middleweight]."
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