Michael ‘Venom’ Page recently opened up about a major shift in his mindset. Page admitted that trying to impress the UFC brass hurt his performances. Now, he says he feels like himself again inside the octagon.
Page, 38, signed with the UFC as a free agent in 2023 after a successful run in Bellator. Known for his unorthodox fighting style and flashy offense, ‘MVP’ built a reputation as one of the sport’s most unique fighters. At UFC 319, he secured a unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier, a former middleweight title challenger.
The win improves Page’s UFC record to 3-1. His only loss came at welterweight against Ian Machado Garry. Since then, he has won back-to-back fights at middleweight.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Page spoke candidly about the pressure he put on himself. He admitted that trying to impress the promotion took a toll on his performances.
According to Page, being calm allowed him to fight more freely. He believes that his performance at UFC 319 resembled his those he had in Bellator.
“I felt myself trying to impress the UFC crowd and trying to impress the likes of Hunter [Campbell] and Dana White, and trying to impress just everybody. And, I’ve never been like that,” Page said. “I’ve always just been myself and impressive things happen because I’m being myself. And, this is the first time I was seriously just the old-school ‘MVP’ flow state and it felt amazing.”
Michael ‘Venom’ Page Explains How His Body Felt at Middleweight
Since moving up from welterweight, Page has looked more comfortable and physically stronger. He doesn’t have to go through a difficult weight cut to compete at middleweight, which preserves more energy.
Page spoke about how his body responded at middleweight during his fight against Cannonier.
“[My body] does feel good [at middleweight]. I do feel strong,” Page told The Ariel Helwani Show. “[Cannonier] managed to get a takedown up against the cage and immediately, I was able to stand back up. It didn’t even feel like there was that much pressure on me, and I just stood back up.”
Page Addresses Whether He Will Remain at Middleweight
Page addressed his future at middleweight after his picking up second consecutive win. ‘MVP’ now sits at No.10 in the UFC’s updated middleweight rankings. Despite his success, he hasn’t fully committed to remaining at 185 pounds.
During his interview Ariel Helwani, Page admitted that he needs to decide which division he wants to compete in. He acknowledged that competing at middleweight would require more physical development.
“I do need to take serious thought and make a decision I believe if I’m going to stay at middleweight or if I’m going to go back to welterweight,” Page said. “There’s certain things that I need to improve on in my training strength-wise and actually make it so that the cut is going to be a little more difficult than it usually is when I have to go down to welterweight.”
Although Page expressed interest in returning to welterweight, there could be more appealing matchups for him at middleweight.
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