Michael Page UFC Exit: How He Actually Found Out

Michael Page UFC exit didn’t come with a phone call. It came from other people’s phones. Page told Ariel Helwani this week that he learned the UFC was done with him the same way the general public did — while on holiday, watching messages and clips pile up from a decision that had already been made and announced without him.

This is a follow-up to our earlier piece on the release itself. That article covered why the UFC let a 5-1 fighter go. This one covers how they told him — in his own words, on the record.

What Page Actually Said

“Found out the same time everyone else found out — I was chilling on holiday and I see I’m getting messages from people, I’m seeing the clips from different channels,” Page said.

Page has been clear that he isn’t disputing the business decision itself. What he’s objected to, repeatedly and specifically, is the process: no conversation before the announcement, and no chance to address the crowd after his final fight.

“What I felt would happen was they’d be like, ‘Look, we can re-sign but it will be a lot less [money],’ and we work from there,” Page told Helwani. “But I wouldn’t have expected it to be dealt with in the way that it was dealt with. I found that quite disrespectful, to be fair.”

The Missing Post-Fight Interview

Page’s other specific grievance: the UFC didn’t put him on the microphone after his win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris — his contract-closing fight — despite the promotion’s standard practice of giving winning fighters a chance to speak to the crowd, regardless of how competitive or dull the fight was.

“I’ve seen fights that have been absolutely terrible, and they still get to go on the mic and say their piece,” Page said. “This is the second time it’s happened to me. I feel like, especially if you knew you weren’t going to re-sign me, what was the harm in even allowing me to speak to my fans and the Paris crowd?”

What Page Says He Wanted Instead

Page was direct about what a better process would have looked like — not a different outcome, just a conversation before the public found out.

“And even after the fact, to not have a conversation to say, ‘Thank you for your time here, but we’re not going to move forward and doing any work together hereafter,’ it would just be nice to hear that beforehand,” Page said.

He also noted he holds no ill will toward UFC staff generally, describing the relationship as not “tumultuous” even as he criticized how the final call was handled.

The UFC’s Side

Dana White has confirmed the release decision sat with UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, not with White himself: “Listen, at the end of the day, the matchmakers make the decisions on who stays and who goes, and they didn’t want to re-sign him.” The UFC has not publicly addressed Page’s specific complaints about the lack of a call or the withheld post-fight interview.

The Bottom Line

Michael Page says he learned of his UFC release the same way the public did — through messages and clips while on holiday, with no phone call from the promotion beforehand and no chance to address the crowd after his final fight. He’s said he accepts the business decision itself; his stated frustration is specifically with the process, calling it “quite disrespectful.” Dana White has confirmed the call came from matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, but the UFC has not addressed Page’s specific complaints about communication.

Sources

Yahoo Sports/Uncrowned — “Michael Page learned of UFC exit with rest of the world: ‘I found that quite disrespectful’” (Sept. 14, 2026)

MMA Mania — “Michael Page doesn’t hold back on ‘quite disrespectful’ UFC departure”

SB Nation — “Michael Page expected low-ball offer from UFC after going 5-1” (Sept. 15, 2026)

Heavy.com — “Michael Page Feels Disrespected by UFC Release”

NewsBreak/BJPenn.com — “Michael Page feels disrespected following UFC exit: ‘I still felt like we’ll sit down at the table’”