Michael Page isn’t sure if welterweight or middleweight is his best path forward toward a UFC title shot.
“Venom,” or “MVP,” as most fight fans refer to him, has been floating between the two divisions since his arrival in the UFC. His ultimate goal before hanging up the gloves is to fight for gold, but considering he hasn’t firmly planted his flag at 170 or 185, makes it hard to determine his best path.
Advertisement
Even if he did make a firm choice, Page says he isn’t sure if his choice would be the correct one, because he just saw a higher-ranked contender get passed over for a title opportunity when Nassourdine Imavov was snubbed in favor of Sean Strickland fighting Khamzat Chimaev for middleweight gold at UFC 328 in May.
“It’s so difficult to tell,” Page said in a CBS Sports HQ interview. “I only just found out today, and I didn’t realize that Strickland got given a middleweight fight to get the title against Khamzat. Now, for me, he should have never got that fight. It should be Imavov, who I think most people would say he was kind of the obvious next one in line. With that said, you kind of don’t know.
“It doesn’t seem to be a guarantee on getting the next title shot. I would say middleweight looks like, maybe there’s a quicker route to the title, but based on what’s just happened, I couldn’t even say that anymore.”
Page’s first two fights under the UFC banner were in the welterweight division. He split unanimous decision results, winning against Kevin Holland, and losing to Isan Machado Garry. He then moved up to middleweight, where he won two unanimous nods over Shara Magomedov and Jared Cannonier.
Advertisement
At UFC Fight Night 270, Page returns to action to face Sam Patterson at welterweight.
For Page, it doesn’t really matter which division he competes in, as he believes he can compete against the top names in either division. His problem, however, is finding opponents willing to sign their name on the line to deal with his tricky style. That’s more of a hindrance to his title path than figuring out which division to compete in.
“I feel great at welterweight,” Page said. “I feel fast, but it’s just about getting fights. If people are not willing to fight me, maybe I need to go back.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Page ponders which division offers fastest route to UFC title
