BKFC president opens door for Michael Page return after UFC release

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship president Dave Feldman has signalled his desire to bring Michael “Venom” Page back to the promotion after the UFC opted against re-signing the British welterweight following the expiry of his contract.

Page closed out his UFC tenure with a unanimous decision victory over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris, finishing his run with the promotion at 5-1. Despite that winning record, Page failed to secure a single finish during his UFC stint, with the promotion ultimately deciding his style did not warrant a new deal.

Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Feldman confirmed his interest but said he is holding off on making a formal approach until Page’s contractual situation is fully clear. “I don’t know if his contract is actually terminated,” Feldman said. “That’s a pretty fast time to get his contract terminated, so I don’t want to make any moves on him yet. We would definitely welcome MVP. When he fought for us with Mike Perry, it was a pretty exciting match, and a lot of people actually thought he won that fight.”

Feldman argued that the bare-knuckle format naturally forces a more aggressive style from fighters, suggesting it would suit Page far better than the UFC environment did. “You can’t really be boring in BKFC, so it’s hard for him to fight that type of fight in BKFC,” he added. “We would be interested? Yes. I think BKFC will force excitement out of MVP and I think that the fans would love that.”

Page previously competed for BKFC in 2022, facing Mike Perry in a closely contested bout that he lost via majority decision — a result that many observers felt could have gone either way. That competitive showing appears to have left a positive impression on Feldman, who views Page as a marketable and capable addition to his roster should the fighter become available.