Michael “Venom” Page heads into UFC London insisting that, whatever the bout order says, he is treating his welterweight clash with Sam Patterson as the real focal point of the night. The 38-year-old continues to lean on a familiar line from his Bellator days: he believes that whenever his name is on a card, the spotlight follows.
Michael ‘Venom’ Page: I am the Main Event
In media ahead of UFC London, Page admitted that his placement beneath Liverpool featherweight prospect Luke Riley on the main card initially confused him. He described feeling “frustrated” and “disrespected” before a friend pointed out that Paramount+ programming strategy is built around keeping viewers engaged across the event, with match order used to hold audiences rather than reflect seniority. Even with that explanation, Page returned to a mindset forged in Bellator, saying:
“Again, it was part of the frustrations initially, but I used to say the same thing when I was at Bellator: no matter where you put me on the card, I am the main event.”
That attitude underpins his approach to Saturday at the O2 Arena, where he faces fellow Englishman Sam Patterson in a three-round welterweight bout on the main card.
Page has spent his last two outings up at middleweight and acknowledged that returning to 170 pounds made this camp feel longer as his body had to readjust to the cut. He said the early stages “felt unfamiliar” but reported that he is now back at a comfortable point ahead of the final drop to welterweight.
Asked whether he needs a knockout to force his way toward bigger names, Page was honest about the uncertainty around matchmaking in the current landscape. Still, his personal goals have not shifted:
“To be fair, I’m not sure. You never know. Things just change like the tides at sea. But I’m always striving for a big KO. I’m always striving to entertain. I’m always striving to put highlight videos out to showcase how talented I am.”
Page also spoke about wanting a “more aggressive” performance this time, arguing that fans already associate him with showmanship and that he now wants to underline his finishing threat at UFC level.
Page and Patterson live roughly half an hour apart in England and have previously trained together, with Patterson brought in as a tall striking partner for Page ahead of opponents like Kevin Holland. Patterson steps in with a welterweight record that includes multiple first-round finishes and a recent run of early stoppages that helped secure this London booking.
Page praised Patterson as “super dangerous” and highlighted his unusual submission game from non-standard positions despite Patterson’s reputation as a striker. He stressed that any familiarity from sparring will not be a crutch, noting that both men were working on specific assignments in the gym and have not yet seen each other at “full capacity.”
Beyond London, Page again set out his aim of reaching a UFC welterweight title shot, even as he acknowledged the difficulty of securing matchups with ranked names. He said he remains open to moving back up if opportunities at 170 pounds stall, mentioning both middleweight options and a long-held desire to share a big UK stage with champion Leon Edwards.
At 38, Page maintains that age is not yet a factor in his decision-making, pointing to hard rounds with younger teammates like Norbert Novenyi as his barometer. For now, he views UFC London as the next chance to prove that, wherever his name sits on the bout sheet, the show revolves around him.
