UFC 319’s Michael ‘Venom’ Page Exposes Biggest Problem in the Sport: “Who’s Ready to Fight?”

MMA veteran Michael 'Venom' Page talks about his decision to temporarily leave the UFC welterweight division to move up. 

UFC 319’s Michael ‘Venom’ Page Exposes Biggest Problem in the Sport: “Who’s Ready to Fight?”

Michael 'Venom' Page talks about the lack of interest in fighting in UFC (via X)

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Michael ‘Venom’ Page is undoubtedly one of the biggest entertainers in MMA, known for his flashy style and highlight-reel knockouts worldwide. After years in Bellator and other major promotions, he finally signed with the UFC at the age of thirty-seven. Initially competing in the welterweight division, the British striker has now moved up to middleweight for a particular reason.

Page made his UFC debut last year and won the fight against Kevin Holland via unanimous decision. After that, he went against top contender Ian Garry, where he got dominated by the Irish star.  However, in his last fight, Michael Page returned to middleweight and stunned fans by derailing Sharaputdin Magomedov’s rising hype train.

It was a dominant, calculated performance that reminded longtime fans of the MVP who once ruled highlight-reels with ease. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Page opened up about his decision to move up to the middleweight division. 

I want to make a lot of noise. Obviously, I wanted to do that at welterweight, but I want to go where the smoke is. It doesn’t seem like anybody at welterweight is carrying fire. It seems to be very political of who you can fight and who’s ready to fight. I called out everybody and I got no answers. So I was like, you know what, yeah, I’ll just get another fight at middleweight again. Jared is an amazing fighter to share the cage with. So, why not.

Michael Page via The Ariel Helwani Show 

The UFC welterweight division is loaded with elite contenders like Belal Muhammad, Kamaru Usman, Sean Brady, and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Each fighter is desperate for the next title shot and refuses to risk their spot by accepting a dangerous non-title matchup. Since his debut, MVP tried his best to get a fight against former champion Leon Edwards, but didn’t receive a response. 

Usman recently returned to the octagon and beat Joaquin Buckley, but fans accused him of ducking a fight with Belal Muhammad. Sean Brady publicly called out Shavkat Rakhmonov, but many felt the timing was off due to the Kazakh fighter’s personal family tragedy. Rakhmonov’s recent inactivity has raised concerns, which have further created problems in the division. 

This trend of top fighters avoiding tough matchups continues in the UFC, with Jon Jones accused of ducking Tom Aspinall pre-retirement. While Page believes the middleweight division fits his purpose, but Sean Strickland is now allegedly avoiding a fight with Israel Adesanya. Page is currently scheduled to fight Jared Cannonier at UFC 319 and will have a close look at the main event. 

Michael ‘Venom’ Page predicts UFC 319 main event 

The UFC middleweight title will be contested at UFC 319 between reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis and undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev. Despite successfully defending his title twice, DDP enters the bout as an underdog due to Chimaev’s dominant reputation and undefeated record. The ‘Borz’ is confident about capturing UFC gold and has promised to dismantle Du Plessis with his style.

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight prediction (via X)
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight prediction (via X)

Their rivalry has escalated with intense trash talk, as Du Plessis mocked Chimaev’s cardio while the Chechen questioned DDP’s legitimacy as a real champion. Fans are eagerly anticipating fireworks at UFC 319 with personal stakes fueling the middleweight showdown. Michael ‘Venom’ Page will also have a close look at the title fight and recently shared his opinion on the main event. 

I feel disrespectful when I say it, I genuinely don’t understand why DDP keeps winning. I can see aspects of his technical ability. It’s not appealing to me. He just seems to know how to get the win, and push through. If this fight came up before, I’d say Khamzat no issues. But DDP knows how to keep grinding out a win. Skill-wise, Khamzat. But [du Plessis] just knows how to grind it out. 

Michael Page continued.

Du Plessis has an unorthodox fighting style that looks awkward, but it often confuses and frustrates his high-level opponents. Despite appearing wild, his incredible durability and cardio allow him to push the pace and outlast opponents even in late rounds. As such, this is the definition of an evenly matched rivals.

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