Having been bounced from the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix by Douglas Lima, Michael ‘Venom’ Page has his return date set.
Michael Page has long been one of Bellator MMA’s most intriguing home-grown stars. The talented kickboxer went 14-0 to start his pro run, joining Bellator after just three fights. From there, he went on a tear that included crushing the skull of Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos, and battering the fight out of ‘Caveman’ Rickels. When he joined the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, he was booked into a promising match-up with rival Brit Paul Daley.
The bout with ‘Semtex,’ however, fizzled, when Daley chose not to engage. Still, Page advanced with a decision win, only to be knocked out in shocking fashion by Douglas Lima at Bellator 221 in May.
Now, Page (14-1) has his return set — and it’s a very different pairing than his last outing. Page will take on fellow kickboxer Richard Kiely at Bellator: Dublin, according to a report by the Irish Mirror. Kiely is a native of Dublin, and was already predicting a win, despite having just a 3-1 record in the MMA realm.
“When this fight happens and I knock him out, I’m going to shock the MMA world and take his place,” Kiely was quoted as saying.
“”I’ve fought people like Michael ‘Vagina’ Page in kickboxing for many’s a year. I’m the best-equipped fighter in Bellator to be able to beat this guy and as far as people underestimating me? Let them!”
Kiely, who trains with SBG Ireland, has seen his three wins come against competition with a current combined record of 9-12-2. His only step up in competition came under he BAMMA banner, against Alex Lohore. Kiely found himself submitted, though cited injury as playing a factor when speaking to the Mirror.
“I don’t even consider the Alex Lohore fight a loss because I went in there with a well-documented very serious injury, I was basically on one leg and an injury defeated me, not Alex.”
Kiely made his Bellator debut in February, knocking out Mickael Bucher at Bellator 217. Much earlier in his combat sports career, the Black Panthers kickboxer held the AKAI Irish championship at -86kg.
Bellator: Dublin takes place September 27, 2019 at the 3 Arena in Dublin, Ireland. James Gallagher vs. Cal Ellenor headlines the card.
