Douglas Lima looked to be in trouble, but the tables turned in a flash as the ex-champ knocked out Michael Page at Bellator 221.
Bellator’s welterweight grand prix continued Saturday night in Chicago at Bellator 221. In the first semifinal of the tournament, Michael ‘Venom’ Page faced off against former 170lb champ Douglas Lima. Lima, who had long flown under the radar in Bellator, was finally getting some of the respect he deserved heading in. But MVP was no slouch, with an undefeated record of 14-0.
Someone was getting bounced from the grand prix. But would it be Page, who defeated nemesis Paul Daley to move forward from the opening round? Or Lima, who had moved past his own rival in Andrey Koreshkov?
Lima vs. Page was the sort of fight fans had always wanted to see Bellator book MVP into. A real test of his skills, afte a slow build over the years. He had passed his first big test, defeating Daley, but the fight wasn’t exactly the firefight many had hoped for.
Bellator 221 was a firefight, but it didn’t turn out the way MVP expected. Page went on the attack immediately, firing kicks, keeping Lima on his heels. Lima fired off a leg kick, while Page shimmied, shook, danced, and showboated. A left would land for Page as Lima moved in. He worked in kicks to the thigh; Lima went after his opponent’s lower leg. Page would then lunge in for a clinch, but it was Lima who capitalized, planting Page on his back. Page controlled Lima’s wrists, preventing the former champ from doing much damage. Page’s wrist control, in fact, led to the ref actually warning Lima to at least improve position.
Lima would finish the round on top, but he was completely ineffective there. The second round was a different story, though they’d never go back to the mat. Page started the second by clipping Lima in the first thirty seconds. That led to a jump knee attempt, which missed. Page went on the attack, connecting, but his feet went out from under him after a kick. As Page was getting back up, Lima fired a right hand, knocking out the feared striker!
👊😳Unreal! @PhenomLima gets the KO early in round two at #Bellator221 and advances in the #BellatorWGP! pic.twitter.com/3vhedCedFm
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 12, 2019
The win means Lima moves forward to the final. There, he will meet the winner of Rory MacDonald vs. Neiman Gracie.
Douglas Lima def. Michael Page by knockout, Round 2, 0:35
