Michael 'Venom' Page has expressed his disappointment at being placed on the preliminary card for UFC London this Saturday, describing the decision as 'disrespectful' and 'strange'. The 38-year-old welterweight will face Sam Patterson at the O2 Arena, marking his first fight on home soil since joining the UFC in 2024.
Page, who has fought at middleweight in his previous two UFC bouts, returns to his natural weight class for this encounter. Despite his star power, he will not feature in the main or co-main event, which is headlined by a featherweight clash between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. The co-main slot goes to Luke Riley, who acknowledged that Page 'probably has been hard done by' and 'should be the co-main'.
Speaking at UFC London media day, Page said: 'It was confusing. Initially, I just found it very, very strange, disrespectful and strange.' He later suggested a possible strategic reason, noting that a friend pointed out the Paramount system's different approach to maintaining viewership. 'It's more about eyeballs and keeping eyeballs versus once you've paid your subscription, then it doesn't really matter,' Page added.
Despite his frustration, Page remains focused on the fight. He and Patterson have sparred together before, but Page does not believe that gives either man an edge. 'Yes, I'm a bit more familiar with who he is and his styles... but at the same time, he was also helping me out with other opponents, so he's not necessarily being his best self,' he said. 'I have to go by who turns up on the night on Saturday.'
