Joe Rogan said one of the bouts at this year’s UFC London might have had “the least action of any fight ever”, with the commentator calling it “crazy bad”.
Rogan was not actually on commentary duties on Saturday, as the UFC returned to the O2 Arena, but he did record a fight-companion podcast, in which he slated Michael “Venom” Page’s win over Sam Patterson.
In the lead-up to UFC London, Page expressed his frustration at being paired with Patterson, one of his former training partners, with “MVP” understandably wanting to face a fellow ranked fighter.
Yet Page, known for his flashy striking, missed the opportunity to make a statement against Patterson, winning a decision over his fellow Englishman in a surprisingly-dull fight.
“This might be the least action of any fight ever, next to Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou,” Rogan said on his podcast, referring to a famously lacklustre contest in 2018.
“This is crazy bad, that’s a crazy bad fight,” Rogan continued, before noting how Patterson somewhat limited Page but without achieving any real success. “That’s a crazy match-up. It’s literally the last guy you want to fight a style like [Page’s], someone who understands it. It’s the last thing you want! Don’t you want excitement?
“I bet it was one of the things where there’s not a lot of guys lining up to take that fight [with Page], because he makes you look so stupid, but this dude is like: ‘I’ve been in there with him 100 rounds, I know how to fight it.’ It’s a big advantage, man! Giant advantage! Knowing what that distance and speed is like.
“I think it’s bad for [Page], it’s not good. But also, here’s the problem: now people know how to fight him. People are going to watch that and go: ‘Oh, just don’t engage. Make him engage.’”
UFC president and CEO Dana White was among those to criticise the contest, saying at the post-fight press conference: “I mean, I didn’t think it was a great fight either. It was a bad fight. I don’t know. He won, so we’ll see what’s next.”
Former kickboxer Page, 38, built his reputation among the MMA fanbase while fighting in Bellator. Known for his eye-catching knockouts, the Londoner signed with the UFC in 2024 and has gone 4-1.
However, he is yet to score a KO in the promotion, which Page said might have counted against him as he sought a top-ranked opponent for UFC London. Nevertheless, he has achieved notable wins at both 170lbs – where he fought Patterson – and 185lb.
Page’s sole UFC loss was a decision defeat by Ian Machado Garry in 2024, which followed a win against Kevin Holland and gave way to victories over Patterson, Shara Magomedov and ex-title challenger Jared Cannonier.
In UFC London’s main event on Saturday, Lerone Murphy lost a controversial decision against Movsar Evloev, with the result seemingly costing the Mancunian a shot at featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski.
In the co-main event, Liverpool’s Luke Riley outpointed Michael Aswell Jr, also at 145lb. Riley was walked out by his friend and teammate Paddy Pimblett. During fight week, 26-year-old Riley admitted that Page should likely have been in the co-main event instead of him.
