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Michael Page says his UFC future is clearer at middleweight than it was at welterweight as he heads into Saturday’s fight with Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris. Page meets Ruziboev at Accor Arena on Sept. 5, with the bout arriving after an uneven stretch of matchmaking questions around his weight class. He previously returned to welterweight against Sam Patterson, but the latest fight-week interview points him back toward the 185-pound lane that also produced his UFC wins over Shara Magomedov and Jared Cannonier. Page and Ruziboev were booked for UFC Paris in July, and Page later made it clear he wanted a title-level path before committing to a new UFC deal. This week, he explained why middleweight has become the cleaner working division. “I myself wasn’t necessarily locked into, I was locked more into welterweight, but more the opportunities was coming at middleweight,” Page said. “And that’s where our kind of miscommunication with the UFC was happening a lot. But now I think we’re both clear that middleweight is where I want to be.” Page Sees More Movement At 185 Page said the point is not simply chasing an easier road to a belt. His frustration is with the pace of the welterweight queue and the number of fighters waiting instead of creating fresh movement. “I think I see a clearer, it’s less about a clearer path and more about being able to get more regular fights at middleweight whereas welterweight seems very congested,” Page said. “Congested seems like many people are sitting on the sidelines waiting for opportunities instead of fighting to create opportunities. And I can’t be asked to be a part of that. So I said yeah, let me go up to middleweight where I can enjoy what I do more.” The move still carries obvious tradeoffs. Ruziboev is listed as a much taller opponent, and Page acknowledged that the easier weight cut does not erase the size questions that come with middleweight. “There’s obviously bonuses, but there’s negatives as well,” Page said. “Nassourdine is what, 6’5? Like, I’m fighting up. I’m still fighting up. There’s still going to be negatives as well. But again, you just got to weigh them up.” Page also framed the Ruziboev matchup as part of a broader contract moment. He said he is not trying to add pressure to what is currently the final fight on his UFC deal, but he still feels there is more left to chase inside the promotion. “I’m happy with my career,” Page said. “I want to do more, but I’m happy with where I’ve achieved, where I’ve come, how well I’ve done, you know, the name I’ve created for myself. Just demonstrating being a true martial artist in terms of I did everything. I’ve done bare knuckle now, I’ve done the jiu-jitsu, MMA, kickboxing. And I’ll probably continue going on to doing more things even if I don’t stay at the UFC, but I just feel like I got unfinished business, which is why I want to stay, but it’s not all up to me.” Asked what he wants to produce in Paris, Page went back to the kind of highlight that built his reputation before his UFC run. “I want to gift a moment that I’ve gifted many times in Bellator,” Page said. “I want to gift that moment to the UFC. Even if this is my last fight, I want to gift it to the UFC, a moment in history that everyone’s going to remember, a clip that everyone’s going to keep playing over and over again just because it was that spectacular.” For Page, the immediate task is turning that stance into a performance against Ruziboev. A convincing night in Paris would strengthen his middleweight argument while giving the UFC a cleaner case for what comes next. The same UFC fight-week media cycle has already produced major lightweight title fallout, but Page’s message is simpler: he wants activity, a defined lane, and a chance to make the kind of finish that changes his negotiating position.