With the final fight of his current UFC contract approaching, Michael Page (“Venom”) admits the pressure of competing in the UFC has changed the way he fights. Now, he wants to rediscover the unpredictable, risk-taking version of himself that made him a star.
Michael “Venom” Page has won fights in the UFC.
But according to Page, UFC fans still haven’t seen the best version of him.
Ahead of his middleweight bout against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris, Page reflected on how his approach to fighting has changed since joining the promotion—and why he wants to get back to being the fighter who built his reputation on spectacular finishes, unconventional techniques and an almost carefree willingness to take risks.
The timing makes that mission particularly significant.
UFC Paris represents the final fight on Page’s current UFC contract.
Page wants to stay.
And if this does turn out to be his final appearance inside the Octagon, he wants to leave UFC fans with something they haven’t experienced yet.
The “old MVP.”
THE UFC CHANGED HOW PAGE FIGHTS
Michael Page’s realization came partly from watching footage of himself.
When he looks back at some of his older fights, particularly from before his UFC run, Page sees a fighter completely comfortable in his environment.
“I was really just in my element,” Page said. “Just living my best life, enjoying, not worried about the results.”
That freedom was central to the style that made Page one of MMA’s most recognizable strikers.
He could improvise.
He could take risks.
And sometimes he would attempt something simply because the opportunity presented itself.
Page believes that changed when he reached the UFC.
“Ever since I’ve come to the UFC, I’ve been worrying about getting the right result, getting it done in the right way,” Page said.
The wins may still be coming, but Page doesn’t think he’s producing them the way he once did.
More importantly, he doesn’t think he’s enjoying himself the same way.
Even some of the personality and showmanship synonymous with MVP have begun to feel different to him.
Previously, Page says those moments simply happened while he was in the flow of a fight.
Now?
“I feel like I’m even trying to be myself,” Page admitted. “And it’s not natural.”
When Page compares his newer performances with his older footage, he says he can see—and feel—the difference.
HE WANTS TO TAKE RISKS AGAIN
Michael Page isn’t responding by attempting to reinvent his style.
He’s trying to remove what has been holding it back.
For UFC Paris, the goal is to stop thinking so much about what a fight is supposed to look like and return to reacting naturally in the moment.
“Take risk,” Page said. “Try something crazy just because you know you can.”
That’s the version of MVP he wants UFC fans to see.
Page believes the pressure associated with competing in the UFC affected him differently than it does some fighters. For others, that pressure can lead to poor performances and losses.
Page has largely continued winning.
But he believes the cost has been the style in which those victories have come.
“I’m getting the W’s, but it’s not in the same way that I was known for getting the W’s when the UFC wanted to bring me here,” Page said.
There’s also confidence behind that assessment.
If Page believes he hasn’t been performing at his best and is still capable of winning at this level, he sees that as evidence that there’s more to come.
The question is whether he’ll get enough time in the UFC to show it.
“I’VE GOT UNFINISHED BUSINESS”
UFC Paris carries another layer of significance for Page.
It’s the final fight on his current UFC contract.
Page insists that reality isn’t adding additional pressure.
At this stage of his career, he’s comfortable with what he has accomplished. He’s competed across MMA, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and bare-knuckle fighting, building a career around his identity as a martial artist rather than simply an MMA fighter.
If his UFC run ended now, that wouldn’t erase any of it.
But Page doesn’t want it to end.
“I just feel like I got unfinished business, which is why I want to stay,” Page said.
He also understands that the decision isn’t entirely his.
“But it’s not all up to me.”
That unfinished business appears to be about more than chasing another contract.
Page wants his UFC chapter to contain the kind of performance that made people want to see him in the Octagon in the first place.
ONE CLASSIC MVP MOMENT
Asked what he envisions against Ruziboev, Page didn’t talk about rankings or simply getting his hand raised.
He wants a moment.
“Just the old MVP for everybody”
During his Bellator career, Page became synonymous with highlights that traveled far beyond the events where they happened.
He wants to finally create one of those moments in the UFC.
“I want to gift a moment that I’ve gifted many times in Bellator,” Page said. “I want to gift that moment to the UFC.”
And if UFC Paris ultimately becomes his final appearance for the promotion?
Page wants to leave behind something spectacular enough that it continues circulating long after the fight is over.
“A moment in history that everyone’s going to remember, a clip that everyone’s going to keep playing over and over again just because it was that spectacular.”
He wants fans in attendance to remember that they were there.
He wants those watching elsewhere to remember where they were when it happened.
That’s a considerably higher bar than simply winning a fight.
But it’s also quintessential Michael Page.
MIDDLEWEIGHT IS HOME FOR NOW
If Page does receive another UFC contract, he’s also much clearer about where he wants to compete.
Middleweight.
Page says there had previously been some miscommunication between himself and the UFC. He viewed himself primarily as a welterweight, while more opportunities seemed to be appearing at 185 pounds.
That ambiguity now appears to be gone.
“Middleweight is where I want to be,” Page said.
It isn’t necessarily because Page sees an easier route toward the middleweight championship.
He sees a more active one.
Page described the UFC welterweight division as congested, with too many fighters waiting on the sidelines for opportunities rather than fighting to create them.
He would rather compete.
The reduced burden of cutting to 170 pounds doesn’t hurt either.
THIS ISN’T A RETIREMENT FIGHT
Whatever happens with Page’s UFC contract, one thing is clear.
He’s not planning to disappear.
Page says his identity has always been that of a martial artist willing to test himself across different disciplines. If the UFC allowed him the same freedom he enjoyed previously to box and pursue other opportunities, he says he’d happily remain active across multiple forms of combat.
And if UFC Paris really is the end of his UFC run, Page still plans to compete elsewhere.
“You’re not going to not see me anymore,” Page said. “I’m still going to go out there and make noise somewhere.”
But that’s Plan B.
First comes Paris.
First comes Ruziboev.
And perhaps, finally, the UFC gets the version of Michael Page that Page himself feels has been missing.
Not the fighter calculating how to produce the correct result.
Not the fighter worrying about what a UFC performance is supposed to look like.
Just MVP—taking risks, enjoying himself and trying something crazy because he can.
If Page gets what he wants, UFC fans won’t simply see him win.
They’ll finally see the “old MVP.”
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