Daniel Cunningham
This past Saturday on the main card of UFC London, we saw a matchup in the welterweight division featuring one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport. Michael “Venom” Page (25-3) took on a former teammate in Sam Patterson (14-3-1).
I’m not going to lie, this fight didn’t make a lot of sense to me before the fight and it still doesn’t after watching it. Part of me understands because Patterson was 4-0 with four finishes since moving up to 170 and MVP needed a fight and he wanted to fight on the UFC London card.
However, these former teammates largely just stared at each other for the full fifteen minutes. There were more feints than anything else in this one. When they did exchange, Page was landing more but nothing significant was really landed the entire time. In the end, MVP got the decision win in his return to welterweight.
What’s next after UFC London?
Yesterday, Michael Page appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA show and he revealed that he only has one fight left on his deal with the UFC. If you ask me, I’m not sure the promotion brings him back after his deal is up. He is getting ready to turn 39 and I’m just not sure if the promotion sees him as a guy they’ll keep around long-term.
Nevertheless, I think a fun matchup needs to be booked for his next fight and it’s a fight fans have been asking for. The UFC needs to book the fight between MVP and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The dynamic karate-style strikers would be so fascinating to watch and it’s a fight they’ve both wanted for years.
With no clear direction for either and with both men likely on their last fight with the promotion, timing has never been more perfect. Honestly, they could book this and add it to their International Fight Week card in July and it’ll be perfect.
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