MVP urges MMA fighters to form union after signing with Misfits Boxing
Michael 'Venom' Page has urged MMA fighters to form a union and "move as one" to press for better pay, Page told BBC Sport on 21 October 2026. The 39-year-old signed with KSI's Misfits Boxing earlier this month after leaving the UFC and said he will earn "a lot more" under his new deal.
Page won five of his six bouts in the UFC after debuting in 2024 and has criticised the sums paid to fighters compared with top-level athletes in other sports. He pointed to the Muhammad Ali Act — a 2000 US law designed to protect boxers' rights and combat potential monopolies — as a model he would like to see applied in MMA. "It's less about speaking out now, it's more about forming a union and coming together. We have to move as one," Page told BBC Sport.
"If all fighters said 'we're not gonna do it', then UFC doesn't exist. That's the important thing for fighters to remember. It's not just the machine of UFC, you guys are the nuts and bolts that help the machine move. A fighters union is what's important - the Muhammad Ali Act is what has allowed boxers to be paid well and the same thing needs to happen in MMA," he added.
Fighter pay has been questioned after boxer Conor Benn signed a reported £11m one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing, which is owned by UFC president Dana White, prompting critics to ask why similar amounts are not being paid to UFC-contracted MMA fighters. White has defended fighter pay by referencing the promotion's £5.7bn broadcast deal with Paramount, and last week, after criticism from UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, White pointed to Strickland signing a new contract in May.
Page said criticism like Strickland's is "common" in the UFC but that most athletes are reluctant to speak because of potential repercussions. "You speak to other athletes and it's a very common thing. Most people are not willing to say anything because it will affect them," he said. "I feel if I don't say anything, silence is going along with it and you're part of the problem. But I also understand you have your own bills to pay, so I'm not against anyone that doesn't either. If more people spoke out then they'd have to do something but it's difficult if we're not doing it as a unit, you can get ousted and other things can happen."
Page said he is "excited" to box in Misfits and that there have been talks about incorporating MMA into the promotion, but he framed his priority as improving conditions and pay for the younger generation. "The aim is to get them well paid, well looked after and well treated in the MMA space and bring competition against other shows," said Page. "Which is good for fighters, it means they have alternative spaces to go to and they can negotiate better because of it. I see people in the UFC still struggling and I don't think there's another sport you can get to the top of your field and be struggling financially. I definitely want better for fighters."
Reflecting on his time in the UFC, Page said he "for the most part loved" the experience and praised the promotion's staff, its Performance Institute — regarded as the gold standard among MMA training facilities — and its fans. He noted that he won all his UFC fights by decision and accepted fan criticism over his lack of knockouts. "I wish I could have done more with my performances, but overall I loved it," he said. "I think the game has slightly shifted. It's not about who's the most skilled anymore, it's about guys who are willing to put themselves through hell and shave years off their life every single time they fight. If I was a bit more aware of that I would have shifted a little bit to try and compensate for that."
Page said he aims to make his Misfits debut "in the first part of next year" and that it has not been decided whether the bout will be under boxing or MMA rules; he mentioned former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Darren Till as interesting match-ups but reiterated that no discussions about potential opponents have taken place yet.