Israel Adesanya defends Michael ‘Venom’ Page: UFC ‘got it wrong’

Israel Adesanya feels like Michael “Venom” Page got a raw deal from the UFC.

Page just closed out the final fight on his six fight contract with the promotion, and the UFC made it clear they weren’t interested in re-signing the formerly flashy striking phenom. That’s because “Venom” has been anything but venomous in the cage. Low output has plagued his UFC run, even if came with an impressive 5-1 result.

Immediately after his final fight, another dull decision win, the UFC removed Page from their rankings and UFC CEO Dana White made it clear they weren’t interested in welcoming him back. That’s a mistake, according to Israel Adesanya.

“I’ve had my dealings with my managers in the UFC, and I’ve heard stories of how they get deals done, you know?” Adesanya said on the Precision Podcast. “I’m sure there’s a lot of bodies buried in the desert. But with Michael ‘Venom’ Page, I felt like they got it wrong on that one.”

“I’m not the same style as Michael,” he added. “But I’ve been in fights where I just know this guy just doesn’t want to attack me. This guy is just waiting. He’s waiting for me to come to him, but I’m touching the guy, I’m peppering the guy, and I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m hitting you. You’ve got to come to me.’ You have to let people cook, give them time.”

Adesanya has had similar issues to Page where the UFC has pushed back against his attempts to do exciting and flashy walkouts. But “The Last Stylebender” stayed in the promotion’s good books by actually putting on entertaining fights that generated interest and excitement.

“I understand he was a big investment from Bellator,” Izzy said. “He’s getting paid well, and he’s delivering, I think, because he’s winning. But maybe they weren’t seeing what they were seeing in Bellator, and they were hoping for that kind of excitement.”

Page had a run of viral highlight reel knockouts while fighting for Bellator. Critics have often pointed to the quality of opponent he faced when delivering those knockouts. But Page showed he still had what it takes to be a top contender in the UFC with his 5-1 run, even if it wasn’t exciting.

On the plus side for “Venom” and his fans, there’s never been a better time to be a free agent in MMA. Page will get picked up by someone else, and we’ll see if he can fix his output issues in another organization.