Michael Page came into Bellator 120 as a YouTube sensation, with a ridiculous highlight reel that belied the fact he only had five career MMA fights.
On Saturday night, the bombastic Londoner lived up to the hype. Page taunted Ricky Rainey for the better part of four minutes in their welterweight fight, then dropped him with a one-punch knockout. Referee Kevin McDonald stopped the fight at Mississippi’s Landers Center at 4:29 of the first round.
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Page came into the bout with five first-round finishes, and appeared like he could finish Rainey off at any time. Mirroring Anderson Silva at his cockiest, Page dropped his hands down to his waist, stuck out his chin, turned his head away from Rainey (8-3), and engaged in all sorts of antics which angered the crowd.
He throw all sorts of flashy moves, from head kicks to spinning back fists. But it was a textbook, looping right hand which landed behind the ear that put an end to the bout and raised his record to 6-0.
In a Bellator roster crowded with faceless fighters who get put on a conveyor belt from week to week, Page’s performance marked him as a potential breakout star, and he knows it.
“I felt in control the whole time,” Page said. “I came to put on a show, I proved I belong here. I’m going to come back, and I’m going to do it again and again and again.”