Michael Page’s UFC Exit Ends a 5-1 Run Built Entirely on Decisions

Michael Page’s UFC run closed with a win, a 5-1 record and no new contract. Sherdog reported that the promotion declined to renew Page after his unanimous decision over Nursulton Ruziboev, removed him from the rankings and denied him a post-fight interview, treatment Page called “disrespectful.”

The optics are unusual. Page won four straight after his lone UFC loss, and PropBetEdge’s database had him ranked No. 15 at middleweight as of Sept. 6, one day after the Ruziboev fight. Yet the underlying performance profile explains why the record alone never captured the full shape of his run.

Page did not win by creating escalating damage or overwhelming opponents with pace. He won by keeping fights sparse, controlling distance and landing accurately enough to bank rounds. All five victories in the six-fight tracked sample came by decision. He recorded no knockdowns, no takedowns and no finishes across 18 rounds.

That distinction matters more to bettors than the debate over whether the UFC handled his departure properly.

The 5-1 record came through narrow, repeatable mechanics

Page’s broad striking numbers fit the style: 2.28 significant strikes landed per minute, 1.51 absorbed, 58 percent accuracy and 62 percent striking defense. Those are not the markers of a pressure fighter trying to force exchanges. They describe an efficient, low-output game built around making opponents miss and scoring from range.

Across the six bouts with round-level data, Page landed 173 significant strikes. Of those, 109 went to the head, 37 to the body and 27 to the legs. He produced no knockdowns despite that head-heavy distribution. The absence of knockdowns helps separate visual explosiveness from actual finishing output in this specific sample.