Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images
Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes a rematch with Douglas Lima is inevitable.
Michael Page thinks Douglas Lima is doing everything in his power to avoid a rematch, but ‘MVP’ has warned the Bellator welterweight champion that he is coming to avenge his loss whether he likes it or not.
Page, who will take on Shinsho Anzai later tonight at Bellator Japan, told reporters at a pre-fight media scrum that Lima will eventually bend to his will.
“Douglas Lima was speaking about me and said he’s never fought anyone as fast as me before and that he was looking forward to that rematch, but the second I won, he was like, ‘nah, you have to fight some more people’”, Page said. “He was like, ‘nah, I’m not even letting you come back that quick’. So, it’s gonna happen either way. There’s gonna be a point where he’s not gonna be able to stop it. And like I said, if I keep doing what I’m doing now, stay active, stay busy, keep beating people, then, 100 percent, you can’t stop it.”
Page had some early success against Lima at Bellator 221 but ‘The Phenom’ proved to be the sharper striker on the night, KO’ing ‘MVP’ with a beautifully timed uppercut after flooring the London Shootfighter with a leg kick in the second round. Lima advanced to the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix finale where he beat Rory MacDonald to capture the welterweight title, becoming the first three-time 170-pound champion in the promotion’s history.
Page, 32, has since earned back-to-back stoppage wins over Richard Kiely and Giovanni Melillo but has faced ongoing criticism for padding his record against sub-par opponents.
Bellator 237: Fedor vs. Rampage will feature Page vs. Anzai on the main card, and is scheduled to take place later tonight, Dec. 28 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.