“MVP” knows he left fans wanting more (again).
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight — and occasional Welterweight — Michael Page scored a forgettable unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev in UFC Paris’ “Featured Fight” yesterday (Sat., Sept. 5, 2026) inside Accor Arena in Paris, France.
On paper, Page’s UFC run has been undeniably successful.
The former Bellator standout is 5-1 inside the Octagon, with his only loss coming against Ian Machado-Garry in an extremely competitive fight. However, all six of Page’s UFC appearances have gone to the judges’ scorecards, and he has landed just 39 significant strikes across his two most recent outings.
In other words, the results have been good, but the entertainment value has often been brutal.
UFC Paris also marked the final fight on Page’s current contract, leaving his future with the promotion uncertain. A 5-1 record would typically make a new deal an easy decision, but there is big chance he gets released next week.
If UFC decides to bring him back, “MVP” plans to make some significant changes.
“The frustrating thing is that I feel great, which sometimes means I haven’t done enough, and the results show that I haven’t done enough,” Page told UFC.com after his fight. “I probably need to push myself a little bit more and take a few more risks.
“Sometimes, I want it to be too clean and too precise,” he added. “I just know there’s more, and it’s frustrating because when I get to the cage, I feel like I’m holding back. I want to give more. The fans deserve more, UFC deserves more. I know I can give more, and I feel like I’m almost there.”
Page’s unorthodox movement and counterstriking have made him one of the most difficult fighters in the promotion to hit cleanly. That same patient approach has also produced long stretches of inactivity when opponents refuse to chase him.
“There is no one in the world who can strike with me, but then again, there are too many people who can survive with me,” Page added. “That’s the problem. That’s what I need to change. My output needs to change. I need to take a lot more risks. I need to doctor my style and do more — adapt it so people feel more comfortable coming forward.”
At least Page recognizes the problem.
Unfortunately, he has now had six UFC fights to increase his output, and his cautious, counter-heavy style remains largely unchanged from the one he used throughout his decade-long Bellator run. Whether he can suddenly become a more aggressive finisher without sacrificing what makes him so difficult to beat remains to be seen.
Page is riding a four-fight winning streak, so UFC could certainly decide that his name value and ability outweigh his entertainment issues.
If not, several new promotions are preparing to enter the market.
Or … there is always Karate Combat, I suppose.
For now, Page has identified the problem. His next challenge is proving that he can actually fix it.
He’s always been in snoozefests. But with incredible highlight reels.
His karate style, just like Wonderboys requires him to have an overly aggressive opponent that he can embarrass.
Opponents know this is his strategy.
Who do we know would stand and trade with MVP?
Pereira, Strickland, Green, Conor, Toporia, Jake Paul, Perry, Diaz, Gane?
i really like watching him fight. even in all these recent decisions it’s a breath of fresh air to see an out of the box style. at 39 they’re gonna low ball him i’d imagine but i’ll tune in wherever he keeps fighting.
This
Plus last year I saw an interview where he said he feels the pressure of being in the UFC vs Bellator and admitted he hasn’t been the same since getting signed
Same for me.
I’ve always been a fan, yeah I hate boring fights, but his style is so unique and can lead to a finish at any given moment. 99% of fighters look and fight the same
Also this.
I was in a similar position defending Machida after his prime run ended, and even during it. Once people figured out how good he was at countering they stopped engaging with him and let him be the aggressor, which led to boring fights.
Any TKD or Karate guy who comes in as a counter fighter and has to worry about takedowns and grappling, will have their style disrupted and adapted to MMA in a way that doesn’t allow them to be fully free.
Even Adesanya changed his style quite a bit as he climbed the ranks in the UFC, he was a much more aggressive fighter in kickboxing.
But I absolutely love these guys that come from pure striking backgrounds, they are a dying breed, and always bring unique styles and personalities to MMA. A lot of those guys also came from competition-centric families and upbringings where they focused on winning, so they hate losing which also leads to lack of excitement.
It helps that I come from Karate as well, and the whole idea of it is to hit and not get hit. Landing a pinpoint damaging strike is far more important than landing just a grazing jab.
Yep and if you him a striker, it will be a staring contest and if you give him a grappler - he gets taken down early but survives and the rest of the fight is a stalemate
UFC should give him Christian Duncan - he’s a big guy that is fast and can
Threaten MVP on the feet
Honestly at this point my desire to watch mvp is pretty much gone .. if he couldn’t
Pull
The trigger against lesser opponents then I doubt he e we I’ll vs better opponents
True MVP has a unique style but it’s no good if he doesn’t engage and throw punches - he puts so much energy into smiling or bouncing up and down and very little into actually fighting
I was just thinking of Machida in comparison to MVP too. Its also interesting that GSP says his karate background is what makes his takedowns so dominant but no other karate guy has done this.
Either way Id much rather watch an MVP fight than someone like Brendan Allen who just seems the same as countless other fighters.
Hasn’t he been saying the same thing after all of his recent fights??
He’s 39, been doing this for years other than when fighting cans, and has said this before.
I can’t see the UFC making him a serious offer. Not like he bringing eyes to the product.