Michael
Page looks like Bellator MMA’s next No. 1 contender at 170
pounds.
The London Shootfighters star picked his spots and avenged the only
defeat on his resume, as he eked out a split decision over
three-time welterweight champion Douglas
Lima in the Bellator
267 headliner on Friday at The SSE Arena in London. All three
cageside judges scored it 29-28: Ben Cartlidge for Lima, Eric Colon
and Douglas Crosby for Page.
Lima (32-10, 14-6 Bellator) controlled a substantial chunk of the
rematch with takedowns, topside grappling and ground-and-pound but
seemed to get lost in the big moments. Page (20-1, 16-1 Bellator)
twice knocked down the off-balance Brazilian with right hands,
stealing his thunder and the momentum that accompanied it. Lima
executed takedowns in the first and third rounds and remained calm
under duress, only to have his inability to find the Brit in the
standup exchanges come back to haunt him.
The 34-year-old Page has won six fights in a row and figures to be
ticketed for a title fight with current welterweight champion
Yaroslav
Amosov in the not-too-distant future.
In the co-main event, SBG Charlestown export Leah
McCourt climbed another rung on the women’s featherweight
ladder with a three-round unanimous decision over Jessica
Borga. All three cageside judges scored it for McCourt (6-1,
5-0 Bellator): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Borga (3-4, 1-2 Bellator) made two serious passes at kimuras in a
closely contested first round, but her inability to complete the
submission came back to bite her. Fatigue sank its teeth into the
Floridian in the middle stanza, opening the door for her
counterpart. McCourt piled up points with clean one-twos,
incorporated leg kicks and mixed in a few takedowns when the
opportunity arose. She appeared to grow stronger while Borga
waned.
McCourt, 29, has rattled off six straight victories.
Meanwhile, an anticipated featherweight attraction between Robert
Whiteford and Andrew
Fisher resulted in a no contest due to an inadvertent eye poke.
The cageside physician deemed Whiteford (16-4, 1-0 Bellator) unfit
to continue 2:50 into Round 2.
Fisher (18-8-1, 1-2 Bellator) fouled the American Top Team-trained
judoka on multiple occasions, but referee Jerin Valel elected not
to penalize him. Whiteford controlled a majority of the exchanges
until the stoppage, the Scotsman leaning on jabs, leg kicks,
straight lefts to the body and overhand rights to the head. He
assumed top position in the waning moments of the first round and
applied his ground-and-pound, only to see his handiwork go for
naught mere minutes later.
Finally, Luke
Trainer kept his perfect professional record intact when he cut
down former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts Association
champion Yannick
Bahati in the second round of their light heavyweight showcase.
Bahati (9-6, 1-2 Bellator) bowed out 2:50 into Round 2, as he lost
for the fifth time in six appearances.
Trainer (5-0, 2-0 Bellator) had the Ultimate Training Centre rep
reeling at the end of a dominant first round, where he buckled his
knees with a pair of left hooks, backed him to the fence and
flurried with punches. The 25-year-old Titan Fighter Gym prospect
turned up the heat in the middle stanza, as he battered a fading
Bahati with a variety of strikes, including a few front kicks to
the face. Trainer lured him into the clinch, then connected
with the elbow. Bahati turned away from further contact, retreated
to a crouched position at the base of the cage and absorbed
subsequent punches until referee Mike Beltran had seen
enough.
The undefeated Trainer has finished all five of his opponents.
In other action, Tim Wilde
(14-4, 2-1 Bellator) pocketed a unanimous decision against Yves
Landau in a three-round lightweight battle, earning 29-28 marks on
all three scorecards; Lewis Long
(19-6, 3-1 Bellator) throttled Michael
Dubois (10-8, 0-1 Bellator) unconscious with a rear-naked choke 41 seconds into the first
round of their welterweight encounter; Davy Gallon
(19-7-2, 1-0 Bellator) earned a unanimous decision—29-28, 30-27,
30-27—over Kane Mousah
in a three-round lightweight confrontation; Elina
Kallionidou (8-4, 1-4 Bellator) dispatched Petra
Castkova (4-4, 0-1 Bellator) with a heel hook 2:07 into the first round of their
women’s flyweight clash; Jack Grant
(18-7, 1-0 Bellator) put away Nathan
Jones (13-11, 1-1 Bellator) with punches 2:16 into the first round of their
welterweight affair; Fabacary
Diatta (8-0, 2-0 Bellator) laid claim to a unanimous verdict
over Nathan Rose
(7-4, 1-3 Bellator) in a three-round featherweight scrap, drawing
30-27 scores from all three cageside judges; Chiara
Penco (6-3, 2-1 Bellator) submitted Katharina
Dalisda (5-3, 0-1 Bellator) with an armbar 2:45 into the first round of their
women’s strawweight pairing; and Khurshed
Kakhorov (8-0, 1-0 Bellator) took a unanimous decision—30-27,
30-27, 30-27—from Jair Junior
(7-3, 0-1 Bellator) in a three-round bantamweight tilt.