'Petty' Michael Page out to avenge his only loss vs. Douglas Lima at Bellator 267
Michael Page is one of those guys who doesn’t accept losing easily. And for more than two years, he’s been aching to right what he sees as a wrong.
Page was stopped in the second round by Douglas Lima at Bellator 221 on May 11, 2019, in the semifinals of Bellator’s welterweight grand prix.
It’s the only loss of his 20-fight professional career and after 28 months, he’ll finally have the opportunity to avenge that defeat.
Everything is set up for him to be successful Friday when he meets Lima in the main event of Bellator 267 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, in London. Lima is a -115 favorite at BetMGM. Page is at -105.
Page has the home-court advantage and he’s reeled off five consecutive victories, all but one by KO, since losing to Lima.
Despite all the wins, it’s that one loss that continues to gnaw at him.
“My personality has always been quite petty,” Page said. “If someone gets me with a takedown, I must get you back. If it's a submission, I have to get you back. And in this case, a loss, then I have to get you back. I am looking forward to getting this loss back and showing how much I have improved since our last fight.”
Lima will have plenty of motivation of his own, however. A year ago, he moved up to middleweight and turned in a desultory performance in a decision loss to Gegard Mousasi. He went back down to welterweight to defend his title on June 11 at Bellator 260, but lost a decision, and his belt, to Yaroslav Amosov.
So Lima has his own motivational issues. This is his first scheduled three-rounder since 2016, when he scored a decision over Paul Daley at Bellator 158, so he feels that will give him an advantage.
“I have the cardio to go five rounds,” Lima said."This is a three-rounder for the first time in a long time, which means I can push the pace more in this fight.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher. The winner will be positioned for a shot at the title, while the loser will have a long road back.
For Lima, three defeats in a row would be a disastrous turn of events. For Page, back-to-back defeats to Lima would be indicative that he’s a step off the elite level.
So both guys have plenty to fight for, and they see things vastly differently.
Page believes he’s become a better fighter while Lima thinks things haven’t really changed. Page hurt Lima in the first, but Lima doesn’t believe too much should be made of that.
“I do not agree he was winning the [first] fight,” Lima said. “The only thing he did was that one punch. I landed on him and was on top of him for the first round. I guess it is good for his mental [health] to convince himself he was winning, but I know how it was going and I was winning. The same will happen Friday night.”
Naturally, Page disagrees. And his perception doesn’t have so much to do with the events of that night as they do with what has happened since.
Page has worked on his game and believes he’s a more well-rounded fighter, capable of succeeding in any position, than he was in 2019.
“I have evolved, but he is stuck in his ways,” Page said. “Since we last fought, he has not done anything in his fights that shows me he is different or got better. On the other hand, I have evolved and changed my diet and training to become a completely new, faster, and better fighter.”
