Michael Page’s Leon Edwards Callout Never Became a Fight
Michael “Venom” Page called for a U.K. showdown with Leon Edwards after a major win in Riyadh. The matchup never materialized. Page instead continued his career across two divisions, while Edwards’ own path moved away from the championship picture.
The callout after Riyadh
After the February 1, 2025 event in Riyadh, Page said a fight with Edwards would be compelling if it took place in the United Kingdom. It was an ambitious request from the London striker, who had joined the promotion from Bellator and was trying to build momentum toward a welterweight title opportunity. The timing mattered: Edwards had lost the belt to Belal Muhammad at the July 2024 event in Manchester, so he was a former champion by the time Page’s comments circulated. Page’s pitch was for a high-profile domestic fight, not a title fight guaranteed by his next result. Read the interview with Yahoo Sports.
A statement win at middleweight
Page’s February 1, 2025 bout with Shara Magomedov was at middleweight, one division above Page’s usual welterweight home. He used movement, timing and sharp counters to earn a unanimous decision, handing Magomedov the first loss of his professional career. The official scorecards were 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 for Page. The result improved Page’s record in the promotion to 2-1, following a decision victory over Kevin Holland and a close loss to Ian Machado Garry. See the official Riyadh event recap.
Page’s route to the callout had included two different results in his first promotional outings. He debuted against Kevin Holland in March 2024 and won unanimously after controlling range and landing the cleaner shots, according to the official Miami event recap. Four months later, Ian Machado Garry took a unanimous decision on three 29-28 cards in a competitive welterweight contest, as shown in the official Las Vegas scorecards. Page’s Riyadh decision over Magomedov then returned him to the win column, but that bout came at middleweight, one class above the Edwards fight Page wanted. The separation between those assignments matters: the Magomedov win proved Page could beat an unbeaten opponent, yet it did not settle where he fit among welterweight contenders or make a domestic matchup automatic. Edwards was coming off a title loss, not holding the championship position that Page’s challenge might have suggested. The callout was a push for a marquee matchup, with sporting context and booking timing still to be worked out.
That performance did not set up a meeting with Edwards. Page later scored middleweight decision wins over Jared Cannonier in August 2025 and Nursulton Ruziboev in September 2026, and returned to welterweight to defeat Sam Patterson by decision in March 2026. Edwards, meanwhile, lost to Sean Brady by fourth-round submission in London in March 2025. The two British fighters never shared a card or fought each other. Review the official London results.
Page has moved on from the callout
After beating Ruziboev, Page completed his contract. The promotion chose not to re-sign him, and Page signed a multi-fight deal with Misfits Boxing in October 2026. That makes an immediate Edwards matchup within the same organization less likely, though the callout remains a notable snapshot of Page’s ambitions during his early run in the promotion. Read the report on Page’s Misfits signing.
For now, the Riyadh win stands as a defining result in Page’s MMA career: a tactical performance that ended an unbeaten run and raised expectations, without producing the all-British welterweight showdown he had requested.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
