Michael Page Narrowly Tops Three-Time Champion Douglas Lima in Bellator 267 Rematch

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.