In the press conference that followed UFC 294 on Saturday evening, from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Dana White confirmed the public’s suspicion that the UFC is interested in signing former Bellator welterweight title contender Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
Additionally, the UFC’s CEO expressed that ‘MVP’ shares the same interest, and that indicates that we could very well see the dynamic striker make his move to the UFC in the near future.
Is free agent Michael "Venom" Page on his way to the UFC? 🐍
"He's a kid that we're definitely interested in," says UFC CEO Dana White. pic.twitter.com/I0C63S4qxe
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 22, 2023
“He’s a kid that we’re definitely interested in,” White said Saturday night when asked about the UFC potentially signing Page. “He’s interested too. Possibly.”
-Dana White
Back in August, Page appeared on the FREESTYLEBENDER Podcast, where he highlighted the fact that he is now a free agent, and explained what he feels is in store for him in the UFC. Moreover, he does not feel like he needs to prove himself to the organization, and expects to face a top-10 opponent right away in an effort to catapult himself into the title conversation.
“Can I see myself there [UFC]? 100 percent,”
“I want top five, top 10 max. I don’t feel like I need to prove myself all over again,” he continued. “I just want to go in there … and we’ve seen it with Michael Chandler. He went in there, fought a top 10 Dan Hooker, great first win for him that just sprung him into title contention. That is the route I see myself in. I don’t see it in any other way. I don’t need a warm-up fight, and it’s not like I’ve been out of the game for ages. I’m ready to go now.”
-Michael ‘Venom’ Page
England’s Page finished his time at Bellator MMA with a record of 17-2. He secured his most recent win over Goiti Yamauchi (28-6) back in March at Bellator 292 with a leg kick TKO in the very first round. Preceding this, ‘MVP’ went to war with Mike Perry in his Bare Knuckle Boxing debut, but without kicks as an optional strike, Page seemed fairly one dimensional and wound up losing to Perry in a majority decision.
At the age of 36, the clock is clearly ticking on Page’s athletic peak. But, with the potential of him signing with the UFC, he could have an opportunity to close out his career in style and cement his legacy as one of the greats in MMA.