Among them, the return of English star Michael “Venom” Page (25-3), who will stay with the welterweight division to take on Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9-2, 2NC).

UFC officials announced that booking, and several more, on social media on Wednesday. The additional fights include:

• Kurtis Campbell vs. Trevor Peek
• Mario Pinto vs. Ryan Spann
• Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov
• Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia Syguła
• Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas

Page has split his time between welterweight and middleweight since arriving in the UFC from Bellator a few years back. A former title contender in that promotion, Page is 4-1 under the UFC banner and holds wins over Shara Bullet, Jared Cannonier, and Kevin Holland. His lone loss in the promotion came to Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June 2024; Garry is now set to fight for welterweight gold next month.

Last time out, he returned to 170lbs to pick up a victory over Sam Patterson.

Uzbek Ruziboev is 5-1 under the UFC banner thus far, and has won three straight bouts inside the octagon. His lone loss in the company came in a welterweight bout against Joaquin Buckley, after which he returned to 185lbs. It’s another trip down to welterweight for Ruziboev here.

No main event has been announced for UFC Paris, which takes place on September 5, 2026 at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.

The post Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev Among Fights Announced for UFC Paris appeared first on Cageside Press.

Movsar Evloev

This should be short and simple: title shot. It doesn’t matter that it was yet another decision. It doesn’t even matter that the scoring was controversial. You don’t get to 20-0, with half of those wins in the UFC, by accident. Despite what the UFC may have been hoping for, Movsar Evloev has earned his day in court. He should face Alexander Volkanovski in the summer.

Evloev’s next fight: Alexander Volkanovski

Luke Riley

The promotion clearly thinks very highly of Like Riley, giving him a co-main event slot in just his second UFC fight. If it wasn’t for Michael Aswell’s toughness, Riley may have added another KO to his résumé. At just 26 years of age, Riley shows promise but also some greenness. I think a fight with a veteran like Gaston Bolaños would not only make for a valuable test, but also a fun striking contest between Bolaños’ kickboxing and Riley’s Muay Thai backgrounds.

Riley’s next fight: Gaston Bolaños

Michael Page

It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to call this fight one of the worst UFC fights in recent memory. These two were landing single-digit strikes almost every round. Between MVP’s recent comments showing how displeased he’s been with the promotion, his walkout to Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Really Care About Us” and this anemic performance, I wonder if he was actively trying to get cut. If so, if feels a bit pointless to matchmake for him, at this moment. I would’ve liked to have seen him face Robert Whittaker at middleweight, but since Page is back to welterweight, I think the winner of upcoming Winnipeg main event is an appropriate fight.

Page’s next fight: Burns/Malott winner

Iwo Baraniewski

This fight was made for one reason and it was to provide some guaranteed action for the fans. Austen Lane was never durable at heavyweight, so it was hard to see how he’d become more durable by cutting weight to get down to 205 lbs. This fight was a squash match and it didn’t teach us more about Iwo Baraniewski than what we already knew. If we want to test this undefeated gunslinger, I think Ion Cutelaba would be a worthy opponent.

Baraniewski’s next fight: Ion Cutelaba

Christian Leroy Duncan

CLD has shown clear signs of improvements since his early UFC loss to Armen Petrosyan. He’s able to deliver highlight-reel finishes while also soundly defeating a ranked veteran like Roman Dolidze in ways he wasn’t able to just a year and a half ago against Gregory Rodrigues. With this victory, he extends his win streak to 4 and will have a number next to his name in the next rankings update. Jared Cannonier has shown to still have enough gas left in the tank to turn back a riser like Robocop last winter. Let’s see if CLD can pass that test.

Leroy Duncan’s next fight: Jared Cannonier

Danny Silva

Danny Silva has proven to be an interesting player at featherweight. I think his ceiling is something akin to a Dan Ige-type of fighter. He’ll be a great test for any up-and-comer in this division. Kevin Vallejos passed that test last August, but Kurtis Campbell couldn’t pass it on Saturday. The UFC could throw any name at Silva and it would make for a fine fight. Personally, I landed on Steven Nguyen who had a nice win last July, but hasn’t fought since.

Silva’s next fight: Steven Nguyen

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Quite the low-action snoozer, and a match-up that had been highly criticized ahead of the fight: why was the UFC booking Page, who holds wins over Kevin Holland and Shara Bullet inside the octagon and was one of Bellator’s biggest stars, being matched up with a virtual unknown?

Fans booed the fight; some even booed the result. Calls were made online for “MVP” to be cut from the UFC, with even Dana White admitting during the UFC London post-fight press conference that it was a bad fight.

Now, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who was not at Saturday’s event at the O2 in London, has chipped in his two cents. He’s pointed to matchmaking for the rather boring outcome, questioning why two former training partners were booked opposite one another.

“Crazy bad. That’s a crazy bad fight,” Rogan said of the bout immediately as it wrapped, on his Fight Companion podcast. “I bet it was one of those things where there’s not a lot of guys lining up to take that fight. Because he makes you look so stupid, but this dude was like, I’ve been in there with him a hundred rounds, I know how to fight him.”

During the bout, Rogan questioned why the UFC’s matchmakers “didn’t think of this when they booked this fight,” adding that “They didn’t think, ‘These guys are training partners, this might be a stinker?’ Maybe it’s like, you can’t get anybody to fight Venom Page in London? That might be a problem, too. It might have been a bunch of dudes said no, and Patterson said ‘let’s go.’”

Page is now 4-1 in the UFC following a unanimous decision victory over Patterson.

The post Joe Rogan Points to Matchmaking For MVP-Patterson Snoozer appeared first on Cageside Press.

You’d likewise be forgiven for wondering why he wasn’t deserving of a co-main event spot.

The promotion, for reasons known only to them, had opted to relegate arguably the biggest name on the UFC London line-up to midway through the main card. The “MVP” chant as Page made his walk to the octagon underscored his status at the O2 Arena in London, England.

Patterson, a former training partner of Page who had been mostly overlooked in the build-up, stayed outside early, staying on his horse and away from Page’s dangerous striking. Page went to the body, with his usual hands-low style, looking loose and trying to lure Patterson into the a counter. From there, something of a chess match played out, MVP on the hunt, Patterson refusing to get too close. Fans didn’t pay to see a chess match, however.

At the end of the round, Page fired a head kick that was blocked, and a back fist that was also blocked.

An MVP chant erupted to start the second, as both men took swings without either landing clean. When Patterson moved forward, he was hitting air. Page was having slightly more success with his advances, which likely had him up in the fight. Patterson finally closed the distance and clinched up, looking to test Page’s takedown defense. Page quickly peeled Patterson off him, moving back to center.

The boo-birds had returned, as Page bounced on his feet, looking for an opening. When Patterson came in next, he was tagged by a Page counter. A clinch followed, but again Patterson could not land the takedown.

Patterson came out a little hotter to start the third, connecting on Page about a minute in. Page was on his heels more a bit, with the pair ending up in a clinch. Page reversed, but wound up against the fence again moments later. Had Patterson gone this route earlier, it might have been a path to victory, but he likely needed a finish. It wasn’t the be found, with the fight instead going the distance.

Not what anyone had hoped for, but Michael Page came away with the unanimous decision victory.

Official Result: Michael Page def. Sam Patterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC London: Michael Page Wins Low-Action Decision Over Sam Patterson appeared first on Cageside Press.

Page, one of the more successful stars to cross over from Bellator as that promotion met its demise, is 3-1 under the UFC banner, including a win over formidable middleweight Shara Bullet. It’s back to welterweight this Saturday however, with MVP booked against the little-known Sam Patterson.

Page has publicly questioned the booking, which he acknowledged during this week’s UFC London media day. It’s hard to blame him: with respect to the main event, which is key for the featherweight division, he might be the biggest draw on the card.

“A fight is a fight. He’s still a dangerous opponent. I respect him, I’ve always spoken about how highly I rate him,” stated Page (24-3) this week. “It was more just the status-level that I was looking for, more just a type of fight that makes everybody go crazy.”

“At the same time, I’m locked in, man. He’s the person that has signed the contract, and was brave enough to sign the contract, and I’m locked in to put on a big show,” he continued.

Not getting a co-main event slot (that went to Luke Riley, 1-0 in the UFC) also seemed to ruffle Page’s feathers. Especially being a veteran British fighter competing at home. In response, Page brought back a line from his Bellator days.

“It’s obviously part of the frustrations initially, but I used to say the same thing in Bellator. And it’s no matter where you put me on the card, I am the main event.”

Juggling middleweight and welterweight has left MVP somewhat in limbo in his UFC career, but if it works, and if it’s necessary, he’ll keep at it.

“To be fair I seem to be capable of just going anywhere. As long as people can get me some good fights, I kind of want to go there. It seems to be a struggle at welterweight, but my goal is the welterweight title,” stated Page. “If the guys here continue to not want to fight me, then I might have to go back up again and look at the middleweight belt.”

As far as Patterson, Page allowed that he has “very unique submissions that he’s able to catch from quite unique places. I’ve got to be very, very aware of that, very on point.” That said, Page is “focusing on being the best me on the night.”

Watch the full UFC London media day appearance by Michael Page above.

The post Michael Page Brings Back Old Bellator Quote in Relation to UFC London Card Placement appeared first on Cageside Press.

Per a report by Deadline, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler have both joined the cast, and will appear alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Road House 2. In addition, Michael “Venom” Page, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Tyron Woodley, and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven are all onboard. Former UFC fighter Jay Hieron will return, reprising his role as Jax “Jetway” Harris from the 2024 film, a remake of the Patrick Swayze original.

McGregor portrayed Knox, chief antagonist to Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton in the initial installment. The Knox character does survive the climax of the movie, as shown while the credits roll. It seems McGregor might be too busy to return, however, as the fighter targets a comeback at next year’s UFC White House card.

Road House 2 falls under the Amazon MGM Studios banner, and will shoot in the U.K., Malta, and Savannah, Georgia, per Deadline’s report. The original film drew in 80 million viewers during its first eight weeks of release on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.

Ilya Naishuller replaces Doug Liman in the director’s chair. Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps; the 2024 film found Gyllenhaal as Dalton, a former UFC fighter, working as a bouncer in a dive bar in the Florida keys. He winds up drawn into a hostile takeover of Road House, the bar, with a local crime lord trying to buy up the property.

Woodley has previously appeared in Olympus Has Fallen, Escape Plan 2, and the Netflix series Cobra Kai, among others. Poirier will be making his acting debut, while Chandler has one film credit to his name, the little-known horror flick Be Afraid.

The post McGregor Absent, But Poirier, Chandler Join Jake Gyllenhaal for Road House 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Khamzat Chimaev

The UFC 319 main event may not have been the barnburner people were hoping for when this matchup got announced, but it was total domination from the Chechen fighter. Dricus Du Plessis did his best to survive every round, but that is all he could do: survive.

Chimaev was seen as a future champion all the way back in 2020 when he first burst onto the scene. Five belt changes and a lot of bumps in the road later, Borz is finally here, and we learned that he was inevitable. If a physical brute like Du Plessis got handled like that, it’s hard to see anyone in that division survive that storm. On the flipside, it’s exciting to see how many surging contenders the middleweight division has. From the upcoming Paris main event to the streaking Reinier de Ridder and the dark horse Anthony Hernandez, Chimaev won’t be lacking in contenders wanting their shot at solving his wrestling prowess.

Dana White said at the press conference that he’s looking to book Chimaev at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. The newly crowned champion then voiced his interest in doing so after saying he didn’t suffer any injuries during the fight. I thought the winner of the Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho fight would be the most deserving contender, but if Chimaev is really gonna make a two-month turnaround, I doubt the UFC will wait for the winner of a fight going down in September. To me, this opens the door to Reinier de Ridder, who’s been incredibly active and would certainly sign up for a fight in October.

Chimaev’s next fight: Reinier de Ridder

Lerone Murphy

Despite his eight-fight win streak against names like Edson Barboza, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett, there didn’t seem to be a ton of momentum behind the unbeaten Lerone Murphy. Not unlike Movsar Evloev, the ‘0’ on the record didn’t look as sexy as it usually does due to performances deemed boring by fans. This explains why someone ranked 6^th would be tasked with a short notice assignment against the highly sought after free agent Aaron Pico. For the same reason that the UFC initially booked Pico against Evloev, the promotion may have been looking to kill off one of their less interesting contenders by hoping that Pico would beat them.

Well, if that spinning back elbow wasn’t exactly what the doctor ordered for Murphy, nothing is. A first-round highlight-reel, KO of the Year contender that left the UFC’s shiny new toy unconscious on the ground. Now winner of 9 straight, the champion Alexander Volkanovski tweeted to Murphy that he will be seeing him in December. Even though I believe Evloev to be the most deserving contender, it’s hard not to see Murphy getting the next shot after this.

Murphy’s next fight: Alexander Volkanovski

Carlos Prates

After becoming the first of the main four Fighting Nerds to suffer a loss, Carlos Prates had his fight against Geoff Neal rebooked and he looked like he had something to prove. A perfect bounce back performance from The Nightmare who showed an even more refined arsenal in the 4:59 he spent in there with Neal. A buzzer-beating spinning back elbow to the temple put the final touches on a round where Prates looked like the unstoppable force he was last year. Prates then called for a fight in Brazil and eyed the card in Rio on October 11^th. He called out Leon Edwards, and though I don’t know that the Englishman is the type to take a fight on less than two months’ notice, I’m not against putting Prates in the co-main event slot. I think a fight that makes more sense than the #4 Edwards, is #8 Joaquin Buckley. New Mansa is no stranger to taking fights on relatively short notice and seems to welcome all the smoke. It’s a matchup that is sure to bring fireworks to Rio.

Prates’ next fight: Joaquin Buckley

Michael Page

After his jump to middleweight against Shara Bullet was successful, Michael Venom Page chose to stay at 185. His second test was against top 10 ranked Jared Cannonier at UFC 319. A career welterweight against a former heavyweight and strangely enough, it was Page who looked bigger inside the cage. Page had a hard time dealing with Cannonier’s top pressure in the third round, but his speed and movement were enough to land a knock down in each of the first two rounds and leave with the victory. The uncertainty of his ability to deal with the size of the middleweights is still too present to push him towards a title shot, so I suggest we test MVP once more. We can kill two birds with one stone by auditing both Robert Whittaker and Page if we match them together. There is apparently a card in Australia in the works for next winter, this sounds like a fine main or co-main event to me.

Page’s next fight: Robert Whittaker

Tim Elliott

Crafty as ever, the 38-year-old off a 20-month layoff just submitted a former RIZIN champion. With that win, Elliott is now 6-2 in his last 8 since his three-fight skid at the turn of the decade. While Elliott has often been seen as nothing but a gatekeeper who had a good night against Demetrious Johnson, his recent stretch includes wins over names like Sumudaerji, Tagir Ulanbekov and now Kai Asakura. I think the veteran is now deserving of a name ranked above him. Just last week, I had Steve Erceg matched up against Alex Perez after his win over Ode’ Osbourne, but this win by Elliott made me change my mind. As mentioned, there are rumours floating of a card in Australia in February, why not give Elliott a top10 name like Astroboy?

Elliott’s next fight: Steve Erceg

The post What’s Next: UFC 319 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Maybe it does translate after all. Having won a clear decision victory, the former (and if he has his way, future) welterweight was quite happy with getting back to being closer to the “MVP” of old.

“Especially in the first two rounds. Made a little mistake in the last round, and then he’s so strong. He has really heavy hips. It was then very difficult to do anything,” Page (24-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage at the United Center in Chicago. “Obviously a little more fatigued in the third round, but definitely starting to get to that MVP. Still not quite there, it’s annoying. Still not quite there, but definitely starting to get to that MVP that I remember.”

“It’s not even about the decision,” added Page. Nor is it about the finish. While he wants those — “I want those moments, I want to gift those moments to the crowd, to the fans” — Page says it’s more about himself and how he’s feeling. “I just know those will come when I get to that stage of myself, and I’m just, I’m almost there. Not quite yet.”

For years, a certain segment of the MMA fanbase (the ones who frankly don’t look far past the letters U, F, and C) criticized Michael Page for fighting “cans.” While those “cans” included talented fighters like Fernando Gonzalez, Caveman Rickels, Douglas Lima, and Logan Storley among others, MVP does admit that his UFC experience has been at the next level.

“I always within myself knew I could fight at this level, at this level of competitors. Jared Cannonier, look who he’s fought, look at his resume. Unbelievable. And again I was still able to be myself, be that MVP that people usually say can’t do it to these guys. And I did it a weight up.”

“If anybody questions us still now, there’s nothing for me to— obviously you’re not a true fan of the sport,” he finished.

With Page now 2-0 as a middleweight in the UFC, there’s some question as to where his current path leads. He’s repeatedly expressed the desire to return to welterweight. For one, an October fight with Carlos Prates (who to be fair called out another British star, Leon Edwards) in Rio in October is appealing. Page, who noted he’s been called the “English Anderson Silva,” is a big fan of that fight, and of getting to visit his Brazilian fans. Ultimately, he’ll press for the right opportunities.

“You have to be the maker of your own destiny. You can’t be pushed to other people’s ideas of you. If there’s a great fight and I really want it, then I’ll push to get that fight.”

Still, MVP just beat a former title challenger at 185lbs. It seems the middleweight division just doesn’t want to let him go, and he doesn’t know what he’ll need to do to escape it. Especially when it’s been hard to land opponents at 170.

“I don’t know, I don’t know. Prates seems like he’s a game kind of guy. That might be the next fight. I don’t think he’ll turn it down. He seems like he just loves to fight, he loves it,” Page told Cageside Press.

“I think there’s always going to be opportunities, it might just be a timing thing. I don’t like to put people on blocks and say ‘everybody’s scared of me!’ No, it’s definitely not that. These guys are warriors. It might just be again, tactical for some people, but also timing for other people. And it just might be the right time.”

“It does feel like the middleweight division is like ‘yeah stay here,’ and I am enjoying myself. I feel good,” added Page. “So we’ll see. I do want to go back down a couple more times at least.”

Watch the full UFC 319 post-fight press conference with Michael Page above.

The post Anyone Questioning Michael Page After UFC 319 Is “Obviously Not a True Fan of the Sport” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Looking to proved him wrong was Michael “Venom” Page. Since coming over from Bellator, Page had seen mixed results. He came out the gate strong with a win over Kevin Holland, but dropped his second fight to Ian Machado Garry. Moving up to 185lbs saw him take a win over Shara Magomedov and influenced his decision to stay there and face Cannonier.

The fight kicked off with plenty of dancing and pageantry from Page. Cannonier wouldn’t play into any of it though as he looked to keep the fundementals get after Page. After a quick clinch Page was back to his antics and sat Cannonier down with a big shot. He then got going more with the jabs, frustrating Cannonier. Cannonier grabbed a clinch for another minute, but couldn’t do much damage before the bell sounded.

More dancing from Page started the second. While he wasn’t doing very much, what he was doing was effective. After overreaching yet again, Page tagged Cannonier and dropped him for a second time. With a couple minutes left in the round, Cannonier tried to turn another clinch into a takedown and succeeded. However, Page quickly found his feet again and broke away. He again landed next to nothing before being clinched again. The round ended with Cannonier holding Page to the cage.

Page continued to play with his food to start the third. When his antics created an awkward angle, Cannonier capitalized and took him down. He landed in half guard and quickly moved to full mount in the middle of the cage. He would batter Page from those two positions for the duration of the round, but it was just too little, too late.

Official Result: Michael Page def. Jared Cannonier by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC 319: Michael Page Dances to Decision Over Jared Cannonier appeared first on Cageside Press.

It was not, to hear Page (23-3) tell it, the plan, with the fight against Shara initially seen as an interesting clash of styles more than a full-time move to 185lbs.

“100% I assumed it was going to be back at 170. I voiced that, I wanted this as a one-off,” said Page during Wednesday’s UFC 319 media day, speaking with Cageside Press and other media outlets. “It’s seeming more and more that it’s going to be more than even this fight now, potentially. It seems that there’s just more opportunities, welterweight seems to be congested, and I want to be active. If there are fights, I’m always willing to go back down. It’s nothing to do with weight or anything, I can make whatever weight I need to.”

“I do see there’s a lot of opportunities and hungry fighters at the middleweight division.”

Not having to cut an extra 15 pounds also makes it easier for MVP to stay active, though he noted he comes from a competition background anyway. “It’s not the weight that stops me from performing, it’s the opportunities to take a fight. I like to be active, and it seems like middleweight will allow me to be more active.”

Page admitted that he wasn’t planning on taking another fight at middleweight immediately, and he may have to consider changing his approach moving forward. He still feels like a welterweight who just isn’t cutting weight, for one thing. And Jared Cannonier is a powerful 185’er.

Cannonier has promised to bring pressure in the fight with MVP, and that’s exactly what Page is expecting in the fight. “There’ll just be a lot of oncoming traffic. It’s up to you if you want to run down that road while this car’s flying at you, and how long before you are permanently knocked over? We’ll see. I do believe he’ll try to do that until it doesn’t work.”

“I turn a lot of people into wrestlers,” Page added. “And though he can wrestle, I’ve seen him wrestle before, that’s never his first point to go to. But I definitely see him trying to adopt more of the wrestling element.”

As to how his power translates at 185lbs, Michael Page was blunt. “It doesn’t,” he admitted. “Them guys is tougher than a mother- it just means I have to be way more, and I’ve spoken about this as well, I have to have way more output in comparison to welterweight.”

“Welterweight, I’m a sniper. I’m waiting for that right moment, and then I land my shot. Wait for the right moment, land my shot. Whereas in the middleweight division, I have to be a bit more aggressive, on that front foot, landing combinations, and then come back out. Combinations, and then come back out, versus just the one shot, and hope to kill these guys. because again, they are more the natural, especially Jared coming from heavyweight, but they are more the natural middleweights.”

All that said, Page admits his heart is still at welterweight. “I just feel like that’s the division and fights that I want.”

Watch the full UFC 319 media day appearance by Michael Page above. The card takes place this Saturday, August 16, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, IL.

The post UFC 319: Michael Page Sees More Opportunities, Longer Stay at Middleweight appeared first on Cageside Press.