Michael “Venom” Page has admitted that his recent frustrations with UFC matchmaking stem from plans involving Carlos Prates.
In December, Page voiced his disappointment that he had asked the UFC for a fight, only to be told that the promotion already had plans for his proposed opponent. Page’s frustrations also stemmed from the fact he had fought three months prior but still had no bout booked.
Now, Page has revealed that Prates was the fighter he had cryptically spoken about, with “MVP” also expressing surprise that the Brazilian has been linked with Conor McGregor – while Page has been paired with the unranked Sam Patterson.
“I tweeted about it just before they fought, Leon [Edwards] vs Prates,” Page told The Independent. “I was like: ‘I would love to fight the winner of this fight in London.’ That was just me saying that beforehand. Obviously what happened happened [Prates knocked out Edwards].
“The next day, I message like: ‘Yo, that would be a great fight, let’s make that happen.’ And [the UFC] were like: ‘Ah, we’ve kind of got plans for him already.’”
Prates knocked out former welterweight champion Edwards in November, after Page had outpointed ex-middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier in August – with Page having flitted between middleweight and welterweight since his UFC debut in 2024.
“In that moment, it was kind of annoying to hear,” Page continued, “especially considering this man had stepped one leg out of the cage, and they already have the next step for him! I don’t take too much damage, so when I get out of a fight, if you have the next plan for me, that’s the position I want to be in. The next day, you can be talking: ‘The likelihood is this show, against one of these kinds of people.’”
Prates is actually still without a fight, though rumours have circulated this week that the 32-year-old could face McGregor next, as the latter bids to end a five-year absence from the Octagon. However, Prates said he has had no contact from the UFC about such a contest.
Still, when the idea was put to Page, he asked The Independent with a laugh: “What?? That’s what I’m trying to say. It’s weird that you had plans for him, and now there’s confusion in the plans. I don’t know what’s happening, it’s a weird one.
“I felt like [I was going to fight him], just because either he mentioned me or someone mentioned me in one of his interviews, and he said he’d love that fight as well. Then we actually met up afterwards and he was like: ‘Man, yeah, maybe we can fight in the future.’
“It was cool, man, so I was thinking, ‘He sounds interested, I’m happy to go,’ there was already talks of it, so that would be a good fight next. But we’ll see.”
In any case, Page, 38, will face fellow Briton Patterson, 29, at UFC London on 21 March. The news came as a surprise, with Page having established himself as a contender at both 185lb and 170lb, whereas Patterson is unranked at the latter weight, where he will face MVP.
Earlier this month, Page said of the match-up: “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.”
Page added that he has “a lot of respect” for Patterson and that “I’m a fan of his”, but went on: “I definitely don’t feel like I’m in good favour with the UFC at the moment. Who I drew as an opponent now, even down to when I saw the fight card, it’s interesting.
“It just feels like I’ve upset somebody. I’m not sure. 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. That’s just me speculating.”
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