The former Bellator
star recently explained his reasoning for accepting fights at
middleweight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship ahead of his Octagon return
against Nursulton
Ruziboev at
UFC Paris.

Michael Page explains why UFC welterweight title-shot tactics
pushed him toward middleweight

Page is 4-1 in the UFC, with his lone defeat in the promotion
coming against the last challenger for the 170-pound title,
Ian
Garry. However, odd bookings followed the loss to Garry, with
the Englishman taking on middleweights Sharabutdin
Magomedov and Jared
Cannonier before dropping back down to welterweight to fight
unranked compatriot Sam
Patterson in a lackluster bout.

Page claims top-ranked welterweights would rather wait around for a
title shot than fight him, prompting the move back up to 185
pounds.

“Everyone at welterweight is, I’m trying to be polite here,†Page
said in a recent interview. “I feel like there’s too many people
wasting time at welterweight at the moment. Too many people with
entitlement issues… They believe that they should be the next in
line. And so, they’re going to wait and this and that. I don’t have
the patience for that.â€

Page acknowledged that winning a championship remains the ultimate
objective, but doesn’t believe fighters should be so calculated
about which matchups to accept.

“Everyone’s goal is the belt, but there’s no need to be this
tactical about it,†Page said. “And there’s like seven people being
tactical about it. It’s annoying. So, I just said, I’ll go the
tougher route and just move up a weight.â€

Credit: Ian Maule/Getty

UFC heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson's upcoming opponent went off on the Olympic gold medalist ahead of UFC 331.

Rising UFC heavyweight star Gable Steveson will make his second appearance in the Octagon later this month at UFC 331 in Los Angeles. Steveson, UFC legend Jon Jones' protege, earned a vicious knockout win in his highly anticipated debut at UFC 329.

Steveson will face a surprising name in his UFC 331 return: 0-2 heavyweight Sean Sharaf. Sharaf, 4-2-0 overall in his Mixed Martial Arts career, will look to earn his first UFC win after back-to-back losses to Junior Tafa and Steven Asplund.

Ahead of UFC 331, Steveson has collaborated with social media influencer Nina Drama multiple times. This has allowed UFC fans to get more insight into Steveson's personality and life outside of fighting.

But Sharaf is perplexed why Nina Drama and the UFC would push to promote Steveson after past legal issues.

Sean Sharaf defames Gable Steveson in vicious social media tirade ahead of UFC 331

In a recent Instagram comment, heavyweight Sean Sharaf scorched the UFC's repeated promotion of Steveson despite his controversial past.

“This is like the 4th collab they do with him; what's up with that UFC?†Sharaf said of Steveson.

“Guess Marines aren't worthy of interviews, just rapists.â€

Sharaf is referencing Steveson's 2019 arrest at the University of Minnesota on suspicion of sexual assault. He was subsequently suspended from wrestling team activities, but he and a teammate didn't face charges due to insufficient evidence.

Steveson and his legal team vehemently denied the allegations.

As of this writing, Steveson hasn't responded to Sharaf's Instagram comment. The Olympic gold medalist remains unbeaten in his MMA career after four straight wins to begin his time in the cage.

Expect things between Steveson and Sharaf to continue to get testy ahead of one of the biggest cards of the year at UFC 331.

What is your prediction for Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera questioned everything during his recent struggles inside the Octagon.

Marlon Vera has struggled since a loss to then-UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley at UFC 299. Following a unanimous decision title fight loss to O'Malley in their UFC 299 rematch, Vera has lost three consecutive fights and is out of the bantamweight Top 15 for the first time in years.

Vera will look to right the ship when he faces Charles Jourdain at UFC 331 later this month. The card is headlined by a rematch between UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja.

Vera's current skid is the longest of his career by a considerable margin, and the UFC fan favorite hasn't won consecutive fights since 2022. Dealing with unprecedented adversity, Vera's mental strength has been tested, as he recently admitted ahead of his return.

Marlon Vera opens up on ‘depressing' losing skid ahead of UFC 331

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Vera was asked about the mental toll his recent struggles have taken on him.

“It's pretty s—–. It's hard, man. It's depressing. It hits you where it matters the most. I don't even really know how to express it,†Vera admitted.

“You put so much into it. You're trying so hard and you fail. Then you say, ‘OK, let's get back on the horse. I'm a tough person. I've got to keep my chin high.' And then you fail again, and you fail again.

“You get to the point where it's like, ‘OK, I'm not ever going to succeed again. This is just not working for me.'†Vera continued. “Then you go into yourself and you're like, ‘What's wrong? What am I doing wrong?'â€

If Vera is victorious at UFC 331, he could potentially return to the bantamweight Top 15. In the meantime, recent work with Raul Rosas Jr. and his new team might've paid massive dividends.

What is your prediction for Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM