Joe Rogan has questions regarding the booking of Michael Page vs. Sam Patterson at UFC London.
The welterweight clash, which took place this past Saturday inside The O2 Arena, was widely panned. Page won the uneventful affair via unanimous decision. Despite the victory, fans weren’t satisfied with what transpired and even UFC CEO Dana White admitted the fight was “bad.”
Rogan was reacting to the UFC London card throughout the day on his Fight Companion stream. During the second stanza, Rogan had questions about the matchmaking (h/t MMAFighting).
“It’s interesting that they didn’t think of this when they booked this fight,” Rogan said. “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 [that] a bunch of dudes said no, and Patterson was like, let’s go.”
Rogan further added that he felt the bout was “crazy bad.” Rogan said that stylistically, it’s the last fight a matchmaker should want to book. He did admit that he feels it’s a case of there not being many great options available for Page to fight.
Even Page expressed dismay over the lack of activity in the fight with Patterson. “Venom” blamed his opponent for not wanting to engage. Still, Page gave Patterson credit for fighting smart and trying to get the win.
How Page is booked going forward will be a story to watch. Prior to the London show, Page voiced his displeasure over how he was being booked by the UFC brass. Whether or not he’ll be stalled out or face someone that could result in another poor clash of styles remains to be seen.
If you were a UFC matchmaker, who would you book Michael Page to fight next to ensure a more entertaining bout? Chime in below.