Michael Page on his UFC exit: a 5-1 run, an expired contract and a goodbye he calls disrespectful
The Michael Page UFC exit did not come from a release or a request. His contract simply ran out after his win in Paris and was not renewed, and the Englishman says nobody sat down with him first. He went 5-1 inside the promotion, and he is now a free agent with Jake Paul’s promotion already making noise about signing him.
- Fight Hub
- 16 September 2026
Key takeaways
- Michael Page (26-3) has left the UFC after his contract expired following his unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev in Paris.
- He finished his UFC run at 5-1 and says he expected a renegotiation, not a silent ending, calling the way it was handled quite disrespectful.
- He also points out he was denied the post-fight interview in Paris, the second time it has happened to him; Jake Paul has publicly pushed to bring him to Most Valuable Promotions.
How the Michael Page UFC exit happened
A contract that simply ran out
There was no announcement of a release and no request to leave. Page fought out his deal, the last fight of it being the win over Nursulton Ruziboev in Paris, and the UFC chose not to offer a new one. For a fighter who had just won, that is the harshest version of an ending.
What he expected instead
He assumed the conversation would at least happen, even a difficult one about money. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, he said he had prepared himself for a lower offer and a negotiation from there, and that the silence is what he took badly.
The microphone he did not get
Twice denied
Page also raised the post-fight interview he was not given in Paris after winning, which he says is the second time it has happened to him. His argument is not that he is owed applause, but that fighters who produce far worse nights still get their moment on the mic.
The style debate that follows him
His Paris performance was criticised by some peers as too cautious, which is the reproach that has trailed his career since Bellator: a counter striker with an unusual, showman’s style who fights at his own rhythm and refuses to be dragged into a brawl. It wins fights, and it does not always fill highlight reels.
I wouldn't have expected it to be dealt with in the way that it was dealt with. I found that quite disrespectful.
What comes next for Michael Page
A free agent with a name
At 26-3, Page reaches free agency with something most released fighters do not have: a global following built long before he arrived in the UFC, and a highlight archive that travels on its own. That is leverage, and it is why his next signature will not be a quiet one.
Jake Paul’s push
Jake Paul’s promotion has already made its interest public, and boxing has always been the other track for a striker with Page’s profile. Nothing is signed, and his own priority may well remain mixed martial arts, but the market for him opened the moment the UFC let the deal lapse.
Follow the roster moves with real numbers
Michael Page’s full record, his finishes and every fighter entering or leaving the rosters are tracked in the FightHub app. Download it to follow where he signs next and how the welterweight picture shifts around him.
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