Michael “Venom” Page is yet to put pen to paper since entering free agency, but the UFC is definitely on his radar.
The longtime Bellator star announced his free agency this past summer, immediately generating buzz as to where he might land next. Page, 36, compiled an impressive highlight reel competing inside the Bellator cage while also putting together a 17-2 record for the promotion.
Page told The MMA Fan Show that he can’t quite confirm that he’s making the jump to the UFC octagon after lightheartedly being pressed on the situation.
“I wish I could say for certain that we have or we haven’t,” Page said. H”onestly speaking, we’re not there yet. There’s still a few hurdles we need to jump over, but like I said, we’re flirting.”
The UFC would appear to be the next logical step for Page, who fought almost everyone there is to fight in Bellator’s 170-pound division. A move to the UFC would immediately freshen up his matchmaking possibilities.
There are plenty of dream fights that Page is interested in and he acknowledged that the UFC is where the majority of those matchups happen.
“It’s difficult to say because I think there’s dream fights and a lot of those dream fights land in the UFC,” Page said. “How I feel now to how I felt when I first joined MMA—you first join MMA, the whole goal was UFC because there was no other big shows that could really do anything. Over time, things have changed. It’s a lot more than just the name of the brand, there’s a lot more to it now. But ultimately, we can still get there and see those dream fights happen.”
Complicating Page’s free agency is the fact that his old stomping ground was recently acquired by the PFL in a major deal that sees the Bellator roster and other assets now fall under the PFL umbrella. So signing with the PFL could end up being a lateral move for Page.
However, Page likes what he’s seen from the league so far and hasn’t ruled it out as a possible destination.
“I think PFL by itself is definitely an interesting location to go to especially with their development, I can kind of see their progression,” Page said. “I wouldn’t re-sign with Bellator even though it feels like it’s essentially not signing with them if you know what I mean, but I just wouldn’t. It would feel like a backstep. I feel like I’ve done that now and I kind of want to progress and move forward.
“So whether that moving forward is with PFL is fine, because it’s cool, I get to potentially meet up with people I didn’t get to fight as well, so that could be interesting, or if I progress and move forward with the UFC. Going back to Bellator would literally feel like a backstep.”
It’s difficult for fans not to speculate that Page and the UFC are already approaching an agreement given that “MVP” has been spotted octagon-side in the past few months (it’s been no secret either as the broadcasts have made sure to give Page camera time).
According to Page, he actually hadn’t met UFC CEO Dana White until recently, an encounter that was arranged by UFC executive Hunter Campbell.
“I got to be invited by Hunter over to Abu Dhabi to watch a show over there, which was an exceptional show,” Page said. “It was actually the first time I met Dana. Yeah, it was still early doors, but it was just nice to meet the people that are interested.”