Michael Page is just as confused as everyone else after drawing Sam Patterson for his next fight.
Page (24-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) will take on fellow Brit Patterson (14-2-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 270 (Paramount+) on March 21 from The O2 in London.
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Page, who hasn’t fought since defeating former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC 319 in August, has been calling out just about every welterweight – a division he sees more suited for his career. Coming off back-to-back wins over formerly unbeaten Shara Magomedov and Cannonier, Page admits Patterson was a rather anti-climactic opponent.
“In regards to the fight, not one that I expected or was even looking for,” Page told MMA Junkie. “It’s a bit more annoying for me because it’s not just an opponent that feels a bit further down the ladder, he’s also somebody that I’ve worked with before as well in preparation for other fights, so I know him well. It’s another reason why I didn’t really want to have this fight, but more so because I came here for the big fights. I came here for big names.
“Since my last fight, I’ve been asking for absolutely everybody and for different reasons, it seems like nobody is willing to take the fight or they’re already matched or whatever. So, yeah, it’s definitely not the fight I was looking for. I have a lot of respect for Sam. I’m a fan of his, as well, watching him grow. … I’m not sure what winning a fight like this means outside of a potential highlight reel, but yeah, it’s definitely not the most exciting one for me. Definitely not.”
Page wonders if he’s not in the UFC’s good graces, especially since he’s not even currently listed as the co-main event.
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“I definitely don’t feel like I’m in good favor with the UFC at the moment,” Page said. “Who I drew as an opponent now, even down to when I saw the fight card, it’s interesting. Lerone Murphy massively deserves his position. He’s been on an absolute killing spree, but then you look at the co-main event, and it’s like – you look at the whole card in general, it’s not the most exciting.
“And I would have felt like a name like myself being on that card, I’m definitely going to be positioned as – I’m going to go and show out always and make noise as I always done, but I’m being positioned on the card in a weird way, and I’ve been given an opponent which is a bit of a weird opponent, as well. I just wanted to fight. I don’t really want to wait, so it was like, ‘Let’s just do it.’ It just feels like I’ve upset somebody.”
So where did things go wrong between MVP and the UFC?
“I’m not sure,” Page said. “I think the only thing I could suggest based on the stuff I’ve done, although I feel like I’ve had some great fights, the only thing I could really suggest is I haven’t had a finish. So maybe they’ve looked to purchase somebody that is known for spectacular finishes, and I haven’t quite achieved that yet.
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“So, it could possibly be that. And that’s just me speculating. That’s the only thing I could see because I still feel like I’ve had some really exciting fights that people have really enjoyed, there’s been moments that even the UFC themselves have been promoting and posting. So, I feel like even though I haven’t gotten the finish, I’ve put on a show.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Page on UFC London fight: ‘It feels like I’ve upset somebody’
