Michael Page vs Sam Patterson: Page says long layoff made matchup puzzling
Michael “Venom” Page will return to the Octagon in a matchup against sam patterson at UFC London after a seven-month layoff. Page, who signed from Bellator and briefly moved to middleweight to stay active, says he had been asking for fights since August and was surprised the only name presented was sam patterson. He accepted immediately despite questioning why that was the lone option after such a long spell out.
Sam Patterson matchup explained
When the call finally came for the UFC London card, Page got the name sam patterson as an opponent. The pairing paired Page with a fighter who holds a 4-1 UFC record and is not ranked inside the promotion’s top 15, a combination Page said felt odd given his requests for higher-profile welterweight opponents. Page had campaigned for activity, even moving to middleweight opportunistically to secure bouts; that move produced a win over Jared Cannonier in August and followed an earlier middleweight outing against Shara “Bullet” Magomedov.
Page has built his own promotion, Total Kombat, and has not been in the habit of turning down fights, which is why he accepted the London booking despite describing the matchup as one that “didn’t make much sense” after a lengthy wait. The fight brings together two competitors who have trained together in the past and requires Page to set aside that familiarity for the contest at hand.
Page reaction and behind-the-scenes
Michael “Venom” Page, UFC fighter, has been vocal about his desire for more action and the frustration of limited options. He said: “To be fair, the goal was to get another one in like November/December because I knew they were going to make me wait [for London]. ” He added: “I knew if it got to the other side of the New Year, then they would definitely make me wait until the March card. I wanted to get one in sooner, but it doesn’t seem that they had the opponents, or whatever’s going on. “
Page described the search for opponents at welterweight as persistent and at times unsuccessful: “I’ve been asking for many, many different competitors, and we haven’t had anybody take the fight. ” He acknowledged his move to middleweight was partly pragmatic: an invitation to fight Shara “Bullet” Magomedov opened an alternative path, then a subsequent matchup with Jared Cannonier kept him active, but Page said his long-term plan remained at welterweight.
What’s next
Page accepted the London bout and will take the fight, setting up a return to competition that he has been pushing for since August; the matchup with sam patterson closes a chapter of persistent requests for activity and begins the next phase of Page’s UFC tenure. The coming fight will test whether Page’s search for meaningful welterweight opportunities yields clearer matchups moving forward and whether his recent detours between weight classes alter his path inside the promotion.
