Following the close of his UFC tenure, Michael Page arranged his next competitive engagement. Misfits Boxing announced at its London event over the weekend that Page had been signed to the promotion on a multi-bout deal.

When Page moved to the UFC in March 2024, he brought with him a welterweight fanbase cultivated during his time at Bellator — a roster addition that attracted considerable attention within mixed martial arts circles at the time. Page, now 39, found himself without a new deal when his contract expired in September — the outcome of five wins and one defeat across his time competing inside the Octagon.

During an appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Page disclosed that his latest deal covers three bouts — in either boxing or MMA — with each fight carrying a seven-figure payout. According to Page, the financial terms of the arrangement outstrip the total earnings he accumulated across his entire run in the UFC.

Under his 18-month Misfits deal, Page will remain tied exclusively to that organisation while retaining the freedom to take part in events such as Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling bouts. He noted in a broadcast interview that numerous promotions had put forward offers, each expressing enthusiasm about bringing him aboard, though their proposed timelines varied considerably from one another.

Scott Coker and his team at Ki MMA were described as being at an early point in the organisation's development. The timing was described as working against a smooth integration, given that the roster of available opponents had not yet grown to match the level of competition required. Similar patterns were noted across a handful of other productions as well.

Misfits also put forward a contract offer substantial enough to support continued earnings growth on Page's part. Page noted having previously worked alongside members of the Misfits organisation, as well as several fellow competitors. The organisation is reportedly pursuing an MMA event, with Page positioned as the public face of that venture, and plans for its future direction form part of the broader arrangement.

Page expressed confidence that his presence would draw additional fighters to the promotion, and that Misfits would establish a meaningful foothold in MMA — a prediction he made while noting he had averaged two bouts per year throughout his time with the UFC. He has not ruled out competing before 2027, though fitting a bout into the schedule remains uncertain.

The contract covers both MMA and boxing, with Page noting that MMA remains his primary goal. He told reporters that opponent availability and the right opportunities would guide his choices, adding that competitors might feel more drawn to a boxing matchup given how little of his work in that discipline they had seen recently. Page noted that boxing may feel like a less risky path to some opponents who prefer to avoid the transition to mixed martial arts, and that the answer varies depending on the circumstances. Conversations with those parties are under way regarding possible matchups.

Page indicated that an MMA bout under the Misfits banner was a certainty for him. When asked about potential opponents, he put forward Darren Till — a fighter who transitioned from the UFC into boxing via Misfits before later joining Bare Knuckle FC — as a possible opponent in either combat format, adding that Till appeared to have one contest remaining on an earlier Misfits contract. Names such as Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz also came up as potential opponents, while Page noted that Tommy Fury would likely remain a prospect confined to the boxing side of things.

Page noted that Ferguson still has a few bouts remaining on his contract, adding that while a matchup with Ferguson was not one he was actively seeking, any move forward from Ferguson's side would be met directly, and that Diaz remained an option if he was available and open to competing.

Following the news that his UFC deal would not be extended, Page drew interest from several rival promotions, though one insider indicated Page stood out as the likeliest landing spot for Misfits at that stage. Page noted that once the Misfits organisation laid out its position, that arrangement stood out as the most logical fit.

Page conveyed that no ill feeling toward the UFC remained on his part after his exit, before sharing his perspective on where the sport stands at present, noting that conditions have shifted into a markedly different era. Page expressed the view that pay-per-view events had disappeared from the UFC's calendar, and that the organisation had moved away from identifying its most skilled martial artists through competition. He described the setup as resembling a production line, with the audience being those who attend primarily for the violence.

Page contended that in MMA broadly — and the UFC in particular — the rankings can behave in counterintuitive ways: a fighter who earns a win may find their standing has slipped, while one who absorbs a loss can see their position rise. He argued that the result was unacceptable, stating that no comparable sport would permit such a scenario to unfold, and expressed the view that competition ought to refocus on determining which participant demonstrates the greatest technical ability.

Page noted that bout cards in the sport typically list somewhere between a dozen and 15 individual matchups, and that beyond the individual performances, the broader context surrounding each event carries weight. He expressed the view that the central question at the heart of such events remains which competitor stands as the most accomplished martial artist, and indicated that the direction currently being taken appears to be moving away from that approach.