In his more than decade-long career, Michael Page has built a reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters in MMA. However, this week, his “annoying” three-round performance at UFC London against Sam Patterson drew criticism from Dana White and fans. Now, the fight is drawing even more heat, as cage-side commentator Michael Bisping, who watched the fight from his cage-side seat, also shared his reaction.

“Speaking of tough, it was a tough watch between Michael Page and Sam Patterson,” said Michael Bisping in his latest YouTube video. “Michael ‘Venom’ Page, as we know, has an incredible style. He’s very fast, very unpredictable, very explosive, and very powerful. The man is a knockout machine. However, he has this style where he takes a lot of risks. The reason he takes risks is because he’s very, very patient.”

In the three-round welterweight battle, both fighters, MVP and Sam Patterson, stayed cautious. As a result, they fought mostly at a distance and gave fans plenty of reasons to boo. By the end of the fight, they landed just 40 significant strikes combined. Still, MMA fans expected much more from Page, an experienced and accomplished fighter. However, he threw only 61 total strikes, landed 33, and recorded just 27 as significant strikes, as per FightCenter.

In short, both fighters kept circling inside the cage, which drew boos from the crowd inside the O2 Arena. Even after the fight, Dana White reportedly left the arena early. Because of this, Michael Bisping left a message for Michael Page ahead of his next outing.

“Sometimes, you run the risk of the crowd booing you because not a lot is happening. If you don’t find that viral knockout… and it goes to a decision, and you’re not really fighting your a– off.”

Usually, Michael Page does not fight the way he did at UFC London. He made his UFC debut at the age of 36 in early 2024, and since then, fans have expected knockout finishes from him, especially because nearly 48% of his wins have come by knockout. As a result, the Brit has built his reputation as a fighter who keeps fans engaged and delivers exciting performances every time he steps into the cage.

Similarly, critics targeted the high-profile heavyweight bout between Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis at UFC 226, where both fighters entered with hype surrounding their knockout power. In the end, fans heavily criticized the fight after Ngannou landed only 11 strikes and Lewis managed just 20 over the entire match, which is a low output for a heavyweight clash.

In his last few fights against Shara Magomedov and Jared Cannonier, MVP looked sharp and composed even without securing a finish. Because of this, those performances kept him in a strong position in the rankings despite nearing 40. However, his latest fight against Sam Patterson told a different story. The performance even prompted Dana White to leave the arena early, and he later labeled it a “bad fight.”

Moreover, fellow fighters like Terrance McKinney and Gilbert Burns echoed the same sentiment. Even Page accepted the criticism and made it clear he would improve in his next fight. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan offered a theory on why both ‘MVP’ and Patterson did not perform at their highest level.

Joe Rogan shares “interesting” take on UFC London’s welterweight fight

“I expect more from myself too,” wrote Michael Page in a detailed message, apologizing to fans and the UFC for his “boring” performance against Sam Patterson. He also made it clear that he plans to come back stronger in his next outing. However, the performance already damaged his standing with the promotion, as Dana White and the matchmakers expressed their dissatisfaction. With both fighters representing the UK, the bout also hurt the promotion’s image.

However, Joe Rogan believes the UFC made a key mistake during the booking process. He pointed out that ‘MVP’ and Sam Patterson trained together at the same gym in the past. As a result, Rogan argued that their mutual respect and a sense of awkwardness prevented them from fully engaging, which showed in the numbers, as Patterson landed just 12 significant strikes.

“It’s interesting that they didn’t think of this when they booked this fight,” Rogan said on his “Fight Companion” podcast on Saturday. “They didn’t think, ‘These guys are training partners, this might be a stinker.’ Maybe it’s like, you can’t get anybody to fight ‘Venom’ Page in London? That might be a problem, too. It might have been a bunch of dudes said no, and Patterson was like, ‘Let’s go.'”

So, what do you make of Joe Rogan’s take? Did the UFC make a mistake by matching Michael Page with someone from his own gym in their home country? After all, this situation comes as ‘MVP’ has already expressed frustration over not getting the right matchups at 170lbs. Share your thoughts below.