MMA
Michael Page calls UFC exit ‘disrespectful’ After 5-1 run
Published
1 month agoon
Page believes the
Ultimate Fighting Championship could have parted ways with him
in a more respectful manner.
Page (26-3) exhausted his UFC contract with a lackluster unanimous
decision win over Nursulton
Ruziboev at
UFC Paris. “Venom†was denied a post-fight interview,
subsequently dropped from the official UFC rankings and UFC CEO
Dana
White confirmed that his contract wouldn't be renewed.
Michael Page questions UFC treatment after four straight wins
and contract exit
Page went 5-1 in the UFC and was riding a four-fight win streak
upon exhausting his contract. As such, he believes he deserved
contract negotiations at the very least, rather than a straight
departure from the promotion.
“I had goals to achieve and regardless of anything, I was winning
my fights, which says to me you get to stay,†Page told Ariel
Helwani. “That’s the premise of this game, is success should breed
more opportunities. So, I still felt like we’ll sit down at the
table… I felt what may happen is they just say, ‘Look, we can
re-sign you, but it’s going to be a lot less,' and we work from
there. But I wouldn’t have expected it to be dealt with in the way
that it was dealt with. I found that quite disrespectful, to be
fair.â€
Page was known for his highlight-reel knockouts in Bellator
MMA. He parted ways with Bellator in 2023 when it was taken
over by the
Professional Fighters League and signed with the UFC. Page's
flashy style didn't translate into his UFC career as he faced
severe backlash for point-fighting from a distance and failing to
record a single finish inside the Octagon.
Notably, Page wasn't allowed a post-fight Octagon interview after
his win over Ruziboev, marking the second time this has happened.
He says the UFC could've let him speak to the Paris crowd when they
already knew he was going to be released.
“You’ve seen fights that have been absolutely terrible and they
still get to go on the mic and say their piece,†Page added. “So,
this is the second time it’s happened to me. I feel like,
especially if you knew you weren’t going to re-sign me, what was
the harm in even allowing me to speak to my fans, speak to the
Paris crowd who are amazing? I don’t understand who makes those
calls, to know who I’d even go to, to be like, ‘What’s that
about?'â€
You may like
MMA
13-0 Jacobe Smith reportedly draws UFC veteran Randy Brown on Halloween
Published
6 hours agoon
October 26, 2026
MMA
Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
18 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
19 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
Ryan Garcia vs Teofimo Lopez Unification: Target Date Set but Key Obstacle Persists
13-0 Jacobe Smith reportedly draws UFC veteran Randy Brown on Halloween
Tim Bradley Criticizes Shakur Stevenson for Pursuing Mayweather-like Money
Trending
-
Boxing2 days agoNaoya Inoue and Bam Rodriguez Set for Potential March Showdown
-
Boxing2 days agoDalton Smith vs Alberto Puello Live Results: Sheffield Showdown Highlights
-
MMA2 days agoAlexander Volkanovski stops Movsar Evloev with barrage of shots to defend title in UFC 333 main event
-
MMA2 days agoAlexander Volkanovski explains why he’s a ‘nightmare matchup’ for Movsar Evloev
-
Boxing1 day agoAlberto Puello Defeated by Dalton Smith in Hard-Fought Battle
-
MMA1 day agoPetr Yan says hes figured out Merab Dvalishvili before UFC 333
-
Boxing1 day agoDenzel Bentley Challenges WBOs Decision on Voluntary Defense Reversal
-
MMA1 day agoCarlos Prates blasts ‘coward’ Islam Makhachev for UFC 336 withdrawal, vows to retire him


