Michael “Venom” Page has a new combat sports home.
The former UFC and Bellator contender has signed a “multi-fight, multi-year” deal with Misfits Boxing, Page announced Saturday during the promotion’s Joey Essex vs. Dapper Laughs event in London. Page joins the organization — which hosts a range of celebrity crossover bouts, influencer events and combat sports oddities — following a successful but ultimately divisive run that saw him go 5-1 in the UFC and exit the promotion on a four-fight win streak.
“I feel free. That’s all I can say, I feel free,” Page said in the ring Saturday.
“The shackles are off, and now, with my brother [Misfits co-founder] KSI, [Misfits co-founder] Mams [Taylor], the Misfits team — oh, I can create some big memories here, some big moments. Big moments. And I want all the smoke — all the smoke, every name in the book, I’m here for it. Because the one and only ‘MVP’ is back.”
“A lot of people wanted him,” KSI added, “and it shows how big it is for us that he came to Misfits, that he came to MF Sport, that he came to our home.”
Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported Saturday that Page’s deal with Misfits is an exclusive deal that still permits him to compete in wrestling and grappling matches elsewhere.
Neither Page (26-3 MMA) nor KSI specified whether the 39-year-old Londoner plans to compete in boxing, MMA or both for the promotion.
Page’s UFC contract expired in September following a quartet of decision wins over Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, Jared Cannonier, Sam Patterson and Nursulton Ruziboev. Page expressed interest in re-signing with the promotion, however UFC officials ultimately opted to not offer him a new deal.
Page admitted to Uncrowned in the days that followed that he felt disrespected by the way his UFC run came to an unceremonious end.
“I had goals to achieve, so regardless of anything, I was winning my fights, which says to me you get to stay,” Page said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” "That’s the premise of this game. Success should breed more opportunities. So, I still felt like we’d sit down at the table.
“What I felt would happen was they’d be like, ‘Look, we can re-sign but it will be a lot less [money],’ and we work from there. But I wouldn’t have expected it to be dealt with in the way that it was dealt with. I found that quite disrespectful, to be fair.”
It will be interesting. MVP is in incredible shape for a 40 year old