Michael “Venom” Page was on a hiding to nothing in his main event bout at Bellator London, but he still came through with all the headlines after serving up yet another spectacular finish for the British fans at the SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday night.
“MVP” was all set to face tough Derek Anderson in the main event, but after the American scrapper was forced off the card through injury, Italian Giovanni Melillo agreed to step in on one week’s notice. It meant that Page faced off against another unheralded opponent in a fight with very little upside. His response to the situation was emphatic.
Page needed just 107 seconds to starch Melillo with a huge overhand right that left the stand-in welterweight out cold before he hit the canvas. It was a spectacular way to finish a fun night of fights at Wembley, as a host of familiar names produced the goods in the capital.
A big, nasty overhand right gets a nod of approval from @bignarstie himself as @michaelpage247 closes the show in style at #BellatorLondon pic.twitter.com/J5P9fbMCt9
— Simon Head (@simonheadsport) November 24, 2019
EDWARDS SHADES BATTLE OF THE BRITS
The eagerly-anticipated grudge match between British middleweight rivals Fabian Edwards and Mike Shipman produced a tight, tense contest that left the fans, and the judges, split on the eventual outcome.
Each fighter earned a 29-28 scorecard from one of the three judges, but the third card gave Edwards all three rounds as the Birmingham man – and younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards – continued his undefeated run with the ninth win of his career.
Despite his victory, however, Edwards was far from happy with his performance and hinted that a rematch with “Seabass” could be on the cards in 2020.
REMATCH?@fabianedwards24 edges a close fight against @mikeshipmanmma on the judges' scorecards.
The Birmingham fighter, however, wants to run it back with his arch rival. #BellatorLondon pic.twitter.com/LQZM0S01AB
— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) November 23, 2019
‘THE TRUE VIKING’ MAKES WINNING DEBUT
Former two-weight Cage Warriors champion Soren Bak made a winning start to life as a Bellator fighter with a grinding three-round decision win over former two-weight BAMMA champion Terry Brazier in the main card opener.
Bak used his superior wrestling and control on the ground to stifle Brazier’s attack en route to a unanimous decision victory. It wasn’t the most crowd-pleasing fight of the night, but it was an important one for the lightweight division as Bak showed that he has the skills to dominate Europe’s best on the canvas.
That didn’t impress Brazier much, mind you. On his way out of the cage the Londoner grabbed the ring announcer’s microphone and bellowed “BORING MOTHERF****R!” as his hometown crowd cheered in agreement.
THE HAMMER LANDS!
With just seconds left, @Flyinjudoka KOs @SamSiciliaMMA here at #BellatorLondon.
Watch the action live on the Bellator MMA App and YouTube 📲 pic.twitter.com/OF5QXGyWGa
— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) November 23, 2019
WHITEFORD BATTLES BACK
Scottish featherweight Rob Whiteford ended an 18-month hiatus with a stunning come-from-behind win over former featherweight grand prix competitor Sam Sicilia on the preliminary card.
Whiteford’s contractual issues with former promotion ACB left him on the shelf for 18 months, and he admitted backstage that his life went off the rails as a result. But his incredible comeback in London, where he knocked out Sicilia with just SIX seconds remaining, gave him the most emotional win of his career.
We’ve got all the latest MMA odds over at PaddyPower.com