Michael Page Says Misfits Deal Pays Double His UFC Earnings

Michael "Venom" Page has signed a new contract after leaving the UFC as a free agent. The former UFC welterweight and middleweight signed with Misfits Boxing after his UFC contract expired, and he says the deal pays more than he earned in the Octagon.

Let go after a 5-1 run

Page fought out his UFC deal with a win at UFC Paris, but a 5-1 record in the promotion was not enough for Dana White and the matchmakers to offer him a new contract. In the months before, the former Bellator title challenger had repeatedly criticized the UFC's approach to fighter pay.

According to Page, the deal came together so fast that even three or four days before the announcement it was not certain where he would end up. He is set to become the face of Misfits' planned expansion into mixed martial arts.

The financial picture

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Page described the offer as "absolutely crazy" and said it lets him keep growing financially. He explained that the three-fight agreement will pay him more than his entire UFC contract did, roughly twice as much or a little more, and over a shorter span of time. He did not disclose the exact figures.

Money was not the only factor. Page said he feels free to express himself again, pointing to the creative walkouts, entrances and exits that he says he was not allowed to do in the UFC.

I feel free of the shackles.

Page said that at Misfits he has been told to be himself, and that this will help him be his best self. He will lead the promotion's planned move into mixed martial arts.