Michael Page is no longer under contract with Bellator MMA. “Venom” announced during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour that his contract with the Viacom-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion had run out and is now exploring free agency for the first time in his career.
“So I am currently unemployed. I am officially, as it happened for me after my second fight, I am officially a free agent now,” he said. “I am no longer with Bellator at the moment. So I am exploring this space, currently. I think it’s time for me to just explore what else is out there. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to go back with Bellator. It just means I want to see what other people think of ‘MVP.’”
While Bellator MMA has been busy locking down several of its stars and champions such as Sergio Pettis, Vadim Nemkov, and Patchy Mix, just to name a few, officials somehow missed “MVP’s” contract running out until his manager, Audie Attar, noticed he had fulfilled his contractual obligations with the promotion after he competed in his last fight.
“I think all of us missed it. Weirdly enough, I think it’s just one of those ones that we just all missed. [The Yamauchi win] was an exciting, quick fight. I was actually eager to try and get something going again. Obviously they were sorting out their own shows and getting that in place. But nobody really looked at contracts until we were like, ‘OK, what’s the next move?’ And I think it was Audie or one of the guys on the team was like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re up.’ So it’s quite an interesting situation,” he added.
“[Bellator officials are] normally a lot sharper on that, and even usually when you’ve still got a few fights left, they’re already talking about what the progression is,” Page added. “So I think there’s a lot going on in the back office with their potential transition as well, and new owners, and so on and so forth. So yeah, I definitely feel like they kind of missed something there, but I think things happen for a reason in my opinion. I think it all happened for me to be able to have this space now and to make this decision, to actually say to myself, ‘OK cool, let me explore the waters in the MMA ocean and see see what bites.”
Indeed, Scott Coker did reveal that the promotion has been busy looking for a potential buyer or partner, so it’s not out of the question to believe that Page’s contract status may have simply flown under the radar.
Nevertheless, “MVP” can now explore free agency after spending the last 10 years with Bellator, but re-signing with the promotion is also an option for the British brawler. Page is 7-1 in his last eight fights and is coming off a knockout win over Goiti Yamauchi.
Should Page not re-up with Bellator, do you think Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) comes in to make an offer? Or will Professional Fighters League (PFL) — who offer a lot more flexibility to venture outside of the cage — come in and ink another high-profile free agent?
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