Michael ‘Venom’ Page insists his dream of becoming a UFC champion is still alive, but it’s the Dana White-led promotion that must show him how he can get there. With his current contract set to expire after the September bout with Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris, the former Bellator star, who’s never been in a title fight in the UFC, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the promotion’s matchmaking, claiming that his repeated attempts to secure fights against top-ranked contenders have been met with rejection.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the 39-year-old admitted that breaking into the division’s top tier has been far more difficult than he expected.

“In all honesty, it’s quite frustrating and has been,” he told Helwani. “I feel like it’s crazy that I’ve come to the pinnacle of MMA, and trying to get names in the top 10 seems to be very, very difficult. Like, very, very difficult.

“The exchanges [with UFC matchmakers], I throw names forward, asking from the top and working my way down. [My manager] Audie [Attar] will present them; he’ll get back, ‘Oh, this person’s matched up. This person’s injured.’ It’s just excuse after excuse.”

The 39-year-old stated that he and his manager, Audie Attar, have constantly submitted lists of opponents to UFC matchmakers but have received the same reply each time. According to MVP, he began by targeting the biggest names and worked his way down the ranks, but each request was met with a response that the fighters were already either booked, injured, or otherwise unavailable to fight him. And the frustration makes sense.

Out of his last three opponents—Sam Patterson, Jared Cannonier, and Shara Magomedov—only Cannonier was ranked in the top 10 when Michael ‘Venom’ Page fought him. The rest were unranked. Despite getting a win against them all, things haven’t really changed for the 39-year-old. Even his next opponent, Nursulton Ruziboev, is ranked 15th in the middleweight division. And even though he respects Nursulton Ruziboev as his opponent, the Englishman revealed that he had been seeking far bigger names, the ones in the top 5 or top 10, before settling on this matchup in September.

“I’m genuinely asking for everybody,” he admitted. “It just feels crazy that I’m competing in the toughest combat game in the world; it’s supposed to be all the tough guys, and nobody wants to fight.”

Michael Page also admitted that a lack of opportunities at welterweight prompted him to switch to middleweight full-time. He argued that too many contenders at 170 pounds are sitting on the sidelines waiting for title opportunities rather than accepting riskier fights, calling the division “boring” before deciding that 185 pounds would give him a greater chance to be active.

“The welterweight division is full of people that are trying to claim they’re next in line for the belt, so everybody’s sitting out,” MVP stated. “Everybody’s not taking risks. Nobody wants to fight.

“The division’s boring, man. So I made up my mind and said, ‘Cool, I’m gonna focus on middleweight’ and hope I can get more regular fights.”

His frustrations come at a critical time in his UFC career. Following his unanimous decision victory against Sam Patterson at UFC London in March—a performance that drew boos and resentment from fight fans—’Venom’ was matched with Ruziboev rather than a higher-ranked opponent. And if even that fight fails to draw some positive feedback, many worry that the UFC would decide to part ways with the Englishman. But despite those concerns, the veteran insists on staying in the promotion. With his current contract ending after UFC Paris, Michael Page stated that he hopes to secure an extension while also obtaining a clearer path to title contention.

“I don’t want it to be [my last UFC fight],” he said. “I just want to push for bigger fights. My goal is still to get a belt. I still feel more than capable: fast, strong. I’m training, and I feel great, so I know I can do it.

“I would like to get an extension [on my contract] and kind of get the UFC on the side, like, ‘OK, I want big names, a rough idea of how I would get to that belt. Who do I have to fight? What do I have to do?’ Give me the exact blueprint, then let me go at it.”

But he isn’t alone. Recently, fighters like Arman Tsarukyan and Magomed Ankalaev have both complained about the UFC not giving them title fights despite them remaining at the top of the rankings chart. It is also worth noting that the 39-year-old’s latest comments are far from the first sign of tension between ‘Venom’ and the UFC.

Michael Page’s relationship with the UFC has been rocky for quite a while now

Earlier this year, the No. 12-ranked welterweight revealed that his relationship with the promotion had shifted following what he thought was a promising start. Although he remained positive about his future, Page admitted in an interview that he was upset with the opponents offered, particularly after being matched against his friend and former teammate Sam Patterson at UFC London.

“It definitely felt like, yeah, we were aligned; it’s going in the right direction, big names, big fights. Just more recently it hasn’t gone in that direction,” Page told Bloody Elbow a few months ago. “But I feel like things do that. It’s always swings and roundabouts. Things go up and down; nothing’s linear. You have to roll with the punches. This is where it’s at the moment.”

Things only got more awkward after his unexciting win over Patterson at UFC London. Head honcho Dana White exited the O2 Arena before Michael Page got his hand raised, prompting the former Bellator star to advise the longtime promoter to be more “mindful” of the message those actions carry.

“When you’re a man in those positions, he needs to remember everything you do has a big effect. You create bigger waves with what you do and what you say,” Page said in the post-fight press conference. “So he just needs to be mindful of those things. But he’s known to be his own man. He does what he does.

“For me, it’s just go out there, perform the best that I can, and next time make him sit in his seat.”

Unfortunately for ‘Venom,’ the performance did little to elevate his standing and get him better fights. The cautious three-round affair was highly criticized by fans and media alike, with UFC announcer Joe Rogan comparing it to Francis Ngannou‘s notoriously dull 2018 fight against Derrick Lewis.

Now, with his UFC contract about to expire after going one-on-one against Ruziboev in Paris, Michael Page finds himself in a critical situation. A statement win might finally land him the headline fights he’s been looking for, but another poor performance may leave his future with the promotion in serious doubt.