Michael ‘Venom’ Page's UFC Exit: A Controversial Decision
Michael “Venom” Page walked out of UFC Paris with another win on his record and no contract in his hand. That was the real shock of the night.
One of the most unorthodox strikers of his generation, Page went 5–1 in the UFC, his only loss coming against rising title contender Ian Machado Garry. On paper, it’s the kind of résumé that usually earns a new deal, not a release. Instead, the promotion let his contract run out and chose not to bring him back.
The decision has stirred up more than a few fighters, and one voice cut through louder than most: Israel Adesanya.
Adesanya: “They got it wrong on that one”
Adesanya didn’t bother hiding his frustration. For him, the logic behind Page’s exit collapses the moment you compare it with another heavyweight name still on the roster.
“They cut Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and they don't cut [Tai Tuivasa]… The UFC is a different business,” Adesanya said, pointing straight at the contrast. Tuivasa remains with the company despite suffering an eight-fight losing streak. Page, by contrast, has one UFC defeat – to a man who just went strike for strike with pound-for-pound No.1 Islam Makhachev.
To Adesanya, that context matters. A lot.
“With Michael ‘Venom’ Page, I feel like they got it wrong on that one because he only lost to Ian Garry, who just went toe-to-toe with the pound-for-pound number one, Islam,” he said.
The former middleweight champion also lifted the curtain slightly on how business gets done at the top level. “They, the brass themselves, go on a case-by-case basis. They're human beings, man. I've had my dealings with my managers in the UFC, and I've heard stories of how they get deals done, you know? I'm sure there's a lot of bodies buried in the desert.”
It was a pointed way of saying what many in the sport think: the rules aren’t always clear, and they definitely aren’t always consistent.
“A hard man to kill”
Adesanya also zeroed in on why Page can be such a difficult sell to matchmakers, even when he’s winning. The Englishman’s style is built on distance, timing, and making opponents look hesitant. That doesn’t always translate to wild exchanges or highlight-reel chaos, even if the skill level is obvious.
“Michael is just a hard man to kill,” Adesanya said. He described the familiar frustration of facing a fighter who refuses to lead. “Everyone that fights him… I know this because I've done this to people… I've been in fights where I just know this guy just doesn't want to attack me. This guy is just waiting. He's waiting for me to come to him.”
The problem, as Adesanya framed it, is that Page keeps landing while his opponents freeze.
“But I'm touching the guy. I'm peppering the guy, and I'm like, ‘Bro, I'm hitting you. You've got to come to me.’ But they just want a freebie, and this is not a freebie.”
In other words, Page makes opponents look bad. That’s gold for purists, less so for a promotion constantly hunting for viral chaos.
Big investment, short patience
When Page crossed over from Bellator, he arrived as a marquee signing, a ready-made name with a reputation for spectacular finishes. The UFC paid him accordingly. That, Adesanya suggested, shaped the expectations around him from day one.
“You have to let people cook, give them time,” he argued. “Like, Michael, yeah, I understand he was a big investment from Bellator. He's getting paid well. And he's delivering, I think, 'cause he's winning.”
The numbers back that up. Five wins from six in the premier promotion, including a final victory in Paris, is not the profile of a busted signing.
The issue, in Adesanya’s eyes, is that the UFC wanted the Bellator version of “MVP” on command – the walk-off knockouts, the viral clips, the swagger that turned him into a cult figure.
“Maybe they weren't seeing what they were seeing in Bellator, and they were hoping for that kind of excitement… I find it exciting,” Adesanya said.
The message was clear: Page was doing his job. The UFC simply wanted a different show.
A free agent with options
So Page now enters free agency with a winning UFC record, a polarising style, and a high price tag. That combination will scare some suitors and tempt others.
For the UFC, the decision is already made. For the rest of the sport, the question now is simple: who believes they can unlock the version of “Venom” the UFC ran out of patience waiting to see?
