Dana White Confirms UFC Will Not Re-Sign Michael Page
Dana White confirmed the UFC will not re-sign Michael Page after the British veteran closed his contract with a win in Paris. The decision ends a 5-1 UFC run and removes any leftover mystery after Page had already been pulled from rankings eligibility.
White was asked about Page on Tuesday in Las Vegas, following Dana White’s Contender Series. Three nights earlier, Page had used the last fight on his six-fight deal and beaten Nursulton Ruziboev by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night.
White did not leave the door open. “That was the last fight on his contract,” he said. “I don’t think we’re re-signing him, no.”
He sounded surprised the question was still being asked. “What’s the confusion? I think it’s been pretty clear he wasn’t being re-signed and that he would be taken out of the rankings because he’s no longer on the roster.”
Page, 39, is 26-3 as a professional. He signed with the UFC in 2024 after a decade in Bellator, where he went 17-2 and built his name on flashy knockouts and showmanship.
His Octagon debut was a decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC 299. The only loss of his UFC stay came later that year, when Ian Machado Garry took a unanimous decision at UFC 303.
Page then moved up in weight and stacked wins over Shara Magomedov, Jared Cannonier, Sam Patterson, and Ruziboev. That four-fight streak usually keeps a veteran employed.
Every one of his six UFC bouts went the distance. There were no knockouts, no submissions, and no Fight of the Night bonuses attached to the 5-1 record.
The Paris crowd made its feelings obvious. Page won 29-28 on all three cards at Accor Arena, but the middleweight fight drew heavy boos and he was not given a post-fight interview in the cage.
He landed 12 significant strikes in 15 minutes. Combined, the two men landed 20.
Page did not argue that the performance would save his job. “They weren’t happy with me before, they’re not gonna be happy with me now,” he said afterward.
He even described the decision the way a matchmaker might. “If I put myself in their shoes, it’s like, same thing. We can sign him again, but are we gonna see much more?”
That line now reads like the company’s position. Page still said he wanted to stay, talked about doctoring his style, and insisted the fans and the UFC deserved more from him.
Before Paris, he had said the plan was to sign a new deal and keep going. After Paris, the rankings panel was told he was no longer eligible and that middleweight needed to be filled back out to 15 names.
White’s comments made that paperwork public. A winning record was not enough once the UFC decided the fights were not delivering.
That is the unusual part of this release. Page beat ranked, proven names and still left as a free agent because the promotion wanted more action than he was giving.
The version of Michael Page who became a star outside the UFC finished people in spectacular fashion. The version who fought in the Octagon won rounds, stayed safe, and left crowds cold.
He is now off the roster with no next fight announced. Other promotions can make a run at a 5-1 UFC winner on a four-fight streak, but nothing has been confirmed.
Whatever comes next will be judged against the same standard that ended this chapter. Page can still win fights. The UFC decided that was no longer the point.