Bellator 267: Douglas Lima Ready to Go After Belt One More Time

Heading into Bellator 267, Douglas Lima and Michael “Venom” Page were singing similar refrains. In the sense that, both feels the other hasn’t changed all that much since their first fight in 2019.

Both fighters also suggest that’s because each other’s game has been working.

“Pretty much the same. He’s been doing the same thing, stuff that’s been working for him,” former champ Lima told media outlets during Bellator 267’s media day on Wednesday. “He’s pretty crafty, he moves a lot. I think he’s going to be a lot more out of my range now in this fight, I don’t think he’s going to want to stay close to me. Pretty much the same style. We’re prepared for everything that he brings, I’m ready, and that’s it.”

Lima (32-9), one of Bellator’s biggest homegrown stars, has lost two straight fights for just the second time in his career. He’ll be looking to avoid a career worst in the fight against Page. For Lima, however, it comes with the territory. “It’s the fight game. Fighting tough guys, fighting tough competition, that’s how it is. I’m good, I feel good, the camp was good, I feel healthy. Ready to get back on track, get this win, and go after the belt one more time.”

His two losses came to Gegard Mousasi, in a middleweight title fight, and then Yaroslav Amosov, which saw him lose his 170lb title. Like Lima said, tough competition.

Lima, not surprisingly, is not phased by Page’s recent win streak either, he stated. “The sport is hard, there’s a lot of risk. One bad night, you lose, you know? Get back on the horse, keep going. Been doing this for like 20 years almost already, so I know what to expect. It’s not an easy sport, and stuff like that can’t keep me down. It just motivates me to come here harder.”

The key difference in the rematch might be fans in London, who will be firmly behind “MVP.” Lima, however, told Cageside Press he was used to it.

“It’s not the first time that I’ve fought somebody at their house. It doesn’t phase me at all. For me, the cage is the same,” Lima explained. “It doesn’t matter where you put the cage, everything is the same. I’m fighting the guy. What I’m focusing on is the guy in front of me, not who’s around him. When I’m in the arena, I only listen to my coaches. If there’s boos, if there’s cheers, that doesn’t really get to me. As long as it’s pretty loud, even if it’s for him, I’ll be okay with that. I’m happy to have the fans back.”

He might be ignoring the crowd, but one thing Douglas Lima will be looking for this Friday is a finish. Especially given the precedent he set in his first fight with Michael Page, which ended in a second-round knockout.

“Definitely, definitely, definitely. Not just for the fans and everybody else, but for myself. I like to finish fights. I think my last knockout was against him if I’m not mistaken,” said Page. “I want to finish fights. If it’s a sub, if it’s a KO, my goal is always to finish, so I’ll definitely be looking for those.”

Watch the full Bellator 267 virtual media day press scrum with Douglas Lima above. More coverage of the event can be found below. Bellator 267 takes place Friday, October 1 live at the SSE Arena, Wembly, United Kingdom.