The change comes in the wake of Bellator 267’s Douglas Lima vs. Michael “Venom” Page 2. The three-round main event saw “MVP” earn a split decision win, evening his career series with ex-champ Lima at 1-1. Many, however, questioned what might have happened had the bout been able to go longer — including Page himself, who voiced his approval for five round main events following the fight.

Bellator’s Public Relations team announced the news on social media Wednesday. All remaining main events for the year will adhere to current contracts.

That means that November’s Bellator 270 fight between James Gallagher and Patrick Mix will remain a 15-minute affair. Although with the news that Patriky Pitbull vs. Peter Queally 2 on that same card is now for the lightweight title, the show may wind up with a five-round main event regardless.

Wednesday’s news opens the door for Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page 3 to span a full twenty-five minutes. Following the win, Page indicated that he preferred the rematch to a potential welterweight title fight against Yaroslav Amosov, which many had anticipated would come next.

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In a main card light heavyweight scrap, Trainer (5-0) finished Yannick Bahati with a nasty elbow in the second round. It wasn’t easy — as much a struggle due to the level of opposition as the admiration Trainer had for his opponent.

Admitting that they shared a moment after the fight, Trainer told reporters about the respect he had for Bahati. “I didn’t want to disclose it, I didn’t want to think about it during fight camp, but I saw an interview a few months ago of him, like me a flippin’ big softy, crying,” admitted Trainer. “He has sons, he puts all his life into this game. And he cried in the interview and he just showed nothing but emotion. He lives the art of a Samurai, and I flippin’ respect that man to the end. It was actually really hard for me to see him down.”

That’s a new experience for the 205lb prospect, but one he expects more of. “Normally I expect them to fall and I relish in the violence. This one was a bit bittersweet. But as I progress, I’m going to fight men of the same caliber, I’m going to fight men who fight for their families, to put bread on the table,” he continued. “So I need to get used to that, I need to get used to hurting individuals I respect.”

If Luke Trainer gets his way, his next fight will be against another man he respects: Ben Parrish. “Big Tuna” recently derailed the hype train of Christian Edwards, at least for now. Trainer made a respectful callout of him after his victory at Bellator 267.

“He’s a savage. I have to test myself against every savage in there,” Trainer said in way of explanation. “I want nothing but hard fights. I’m going to build, I’m going to be smart, but I want guys of my caliber or higher. I believe Ben is that man. I need to get out in the States. I need the cheddar, I need to fill the fridge with the bread, and that’s how I’m going to do it. I have to create my own legacy. I have to build a narrative, and Ben is my narrative.”

Watch the full Bellator 267 post-fight press scrum with Luke Trainer above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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McCourt earned her sixth straight victory on Friday night in London, picking up a unanimous decision win over the American. Having entered the night at #5 in the women’s featherweight rankings, McCourt seems destined for bigger things — especially with the #1 ranked Julia Budd having exited Bellator MMA in favor of the PFL.

Undefeated since her pro debut, McCourt said post-fight on Friday that she’s getting used to being in big fights. “I feel like I’m so used to these big stages, these big occasions, so early in my career, that my first five fights doesn’t really show what I can do,” she stated. “I’m learning on the job, and just trying to improve every fight.”

When it comes to who is next, “I don’t look at anybody, I just say yeah” she stated, in regards to whoever Bellator’s matchmakers offer her. “Hopefully they’ll put me in Dublin in four weeks.”

Despite taking a bit of damage against Borga, McCourt believes she can make the fight. “I’m not hurt, bit of a sore lip, but I could definitely fight in four weeks in Dublin.”

Watch the full Bellator 267 post-fight press scrum with Leah McCourt above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Instead, “MVP” has his eye on the completion of his trilogy with Douglas Lima — the man he just defeated in the Bellator 267 main event.

“In all honesty, I would love to run that back,” Page (20-1) said following the fight, which saw him earn a split decision victory. Referring to himself as “petty” in terms of his need to win definitively, the British star added that “a few more things, and I push him right over the edge and he doesn’t get back up.”

The desire to run the fight back and complete the trilogy — Lima knocked Page out in the pair’s first meeting in 2019 — even supersedes a potential title shot against Yaroslav Amosov.

“I’ve been telling people from the beginning, I feel like no one really listens: I don’t care about the title. It’s a belt, who cares, man?” Page exclaimed. “How many people who are title holders are nowhere near as popular as I am? Belts don’t mean anything. It does, obviously, but to me it doesn’t. I swear to you, that moment there, there are so many belt holders in Bellator that couldn’t pull that off. I can say that with confidence, there is a lot of people who cannot pull off what I did today.”

Page feels that the title isn’t what fans want to see him pursue anyway. “I feel like people are drawn to me for my enjoyment of the sport, and not because I’m chasing anything,” he opined. “It’s more about me and my journey. I want to prove things to myself, and I didn’t get to prove that today.”

“I won, but I didn’t get to prove what I wanted to prove,” he added. That’s to make Lima’s “eyes roll in the back of his head,” and for him to “just not get back up.”

Watch the full Bellator 267 post-fight press scrum with Michael Page above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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The rematch found the welterweight pair on different trajectories: Lima was looking to snap a two-fight skid that included the loss of his title last time out, while “MVP” had won five straight.

The energy in London was electric to say the least, and exploded when Douglas Lima briefly went down early in the fight — more of a push than a knockdown with punch hitting the chest. Page was practically floating around the cage, circling, bouncing, and in a heartbeat he did sit Lima down again, though the Brazilian popped right back up. A spinning heel kick from Page was partially blocked, and Lima had seen enough. He changed levels moments later and put “MVP” on his back, with half the round to go. Page got his back to the fence, and controlled the wrists of Lima. Soon enough, the ex-champ pulled free, dropping a bit of ground n’ pound.

Round two saw Page working his jab, and after having his left chopped out from under him, he just barely avoided an uppercut that would have been lights out. Page kept at a distance, switched stances, and ate a heavy kick to the body. Lima would go down again later in the round, but it was again more of him falling, off-balance, not a knockdown.

The third frame saw MVP again narrowly miss a fight-ending blow on his way up after a kick. The English fighter was spending a lot of time with his back to the cage, Lima walking him down. With two minutes remaining in the third fight, Lima landed the takedown. Page tied things up, but couldn’t get a stand-up from the ref. Lima got a hand free, throwing a punch or two before Page grabbed his wrists.

The biggest lesson from the night was the obvious need for Bellator to adopt five-round main events, both men had plenty left in the tank in a close fight. Michael Page came away with a very close split decision to get his revenge on Lima — and serve up the ex-champ’s third straight loss.

Official Result: Michael Page def. Douglas Lima by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Borga’s status as the only American fighter on the card would put the London crowd firmly behind Northern Ireland’s McCourt, who entered the bout on a five-fight win streak.

It was all of 90 seconds before Leah McCourt got her opponent down to the canvas on Friday. She sat in Borga’s guard as the latter worked on a kimura from the bottom. That was easily avoided by McCourt, who dragged her opponent away from the fence as Borga continued to throw up submissions.

The fight went to the ground even quicker in the second. McCourt wound up on top in half-guard after initially landing in side control. Borga escaped out to her feet, only to be met by McCourt’s jab as she pressed forward. Jessica Borga was throwing labored shots from well outside, with her head down; McCourt in stark contrast was still light and bouncing on her feet. In the final minute of the round, McCourt scored another takedown, though she let Borga right back up.

Round three saw a spent Borga still trying to walk down McCourt, who easily sidestepped her punches, circled, showed stance switches, and worked her jab. Anything short of a Hail Mary was going to be too little, too late from Borga. To her credit, she refused to go quietly, but going to the judges, the result was never in question.

Official Result: Leah McCourt def. Jessica Borga by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Douglas Lima vs. Michael Page 2 tops the bill, which sees the two former welterweight grand prix participants on very different trajectories. Douglas Lima won the grand prix, defeating Rory MacDonald to reclaim 170lb gold. He hasn’t won since. Lima dropped a middleweight title fight to Gegard Mousasi in his next outing, then lost the belt against to current champ Yaroslav Amodov.

Lima remains the only loss of Michael “Venom” Page’s professional record. The kickboxer has been on a tear since that fight, winning five straight, and finishing four of those opponents. That includes wins over UFC alum Shinsho Anzai and the gritty Derek Anderson.

The winner of their rematch should be in prime position for a shot at Amosov, yet to make his first title defense.

In the co-main event, women’s featherweight Leah McCourt looked to continue her winning ways. The North Ireland-born fighter was looking for her sixth straight victory, having gone undefeated since dropping her pro debut. She was up against Jessica Borga — who happened to be the only American fighter on the card.

Bellator 267 takes place Friday, October 1, 2021 at the SSE Arena in London, England. The preliminary card can be streamed above. Where available, the main card Bellator 267 live stream is below. Full results can also be found below.

Bellator 267: Lima vs. MVP 2 Weigh-In Results and Video

Main Card (4PM ET, Showtime)

Michael Page def. Douglas Lima by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Leah McCourt def. Jessica Borga by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Andrew Fisher vs. Robert Whiteford ends in a No Contest (accidental eye poke), Round 2, 2:50
Luke Trainer def. Yannick Bahati by TKO, Round 2, 2:50
Tim Wilde def. Yves Landu by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (Cageside Press/Youtube, 12:30PM ET)

Lewis Long def. Michael Dubois by technical submission, Round 1, 0:41
Davy Gallon def. Kane Mousah by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Elina Kallionidou def. Petra Castkova by submission (leg lock), Round 1, 2:07
Jack Grant def. Nathan Jones by TKO, Round 1, 2:16
Fabacary Diatta def. Nathan Rose by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chiara Penco def. Katharina Dalisda by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:45
Khurshed Kakhorov def. Jair Junior by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Here are a few of @PhenomLima's top finishes from inside the #Bellator cage.

See him LIVE in action as he defends his title at #Bellator260 on Friday, June 11th when you snag your tix at the link below. 👇

🤜 https://t.co/O0fnx8zBo0 pic.twitter.com/0k3stoHnjq

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 29, 2021

You know the story that Douglas Lima has written.  With a record of 32-9, he has established himself in Bellator as one of the best talents outside of the powerhouse of the UFC.  Between 2012 and 2019, Lima crushed the best opposition the promotion had to offer as he added names like Lorenz Larkin, Paul Daley, Ben Saunders, and others to his resume.  Though his run was not perfect, it led to arguably his greatest victories as he reclaimed the title from Andrey Koreshkov and later against Rory MacDonald, the latter coming in the finals of the welterweight Grand Prix.

The last two years have not been as stellar for “The Phenom.”  Last year, following nearly 12 months away from the cage, he came up short in a bid to win the middleweight title against Gegard Mousasi.  This past June, he lost the welterweight title to the undefeated Yaroslav Amosov.  Both are respectable opponents, to be fair.  But considering he has been a professional since 2006, there is question if the miles on his body may be starting to catch up to him.  The stage is set for him to silence those conversations, facing a familiar dynamic foe in their home country and carrying the mental advantage that he has already devastated him in the cage once before.

Ice cold ❄️@MichaelPage247 has venom in his veins. Watch him take on @PhenomLima, Friday, Oct 1st at The @SSEArena. #BellatorLondon tickets 🎟👉 https://t.co/1G7xPvn6fI pic.twitter.com/zijAfgYggn

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) August 30, 2021

Michael “Venom” Page has made a career of making highlight reel knockouts look too easy.  He is 19-1 in MMA, with most of his career coming inside the Bellator cage where he debuted in 2013.  Since then, he has become must-see television with most his victories coming by some way of knockout and his post-fight celebrations breaking the mold as he pays homage to various martial arts movies or anime that has led to him becoming arguably the most popular fighter in the company to never hold a title.

Page has created a love-hate relationship in terms of his fan’s feelings towards his success.  On the one hand, he is recognized as one of the preeminent strikers in the game and there is great excitement to see him perform.  However, his noticeable diet of non-grapplers and opponents with questionable records after several years as a contender has many feeling he has been allowed to inflate his record.  Should he best Lima, particularly in dramatic fashion, it would set up the ultimate opportunity to prove the critics wrong as he would get the chance to face the champion Amosov in an intriguing striker vs grappler matchup.

Stylistically, speed and volume are expected to be the major factor in the fight.  For Lima, he must mix-up his attack and pressure Page as to not be lured into falling behind in a three round bout.  While it was not a major factor in the first fight, his grappling could be the x-factor if he is able to get Page down and maintain top control to neutralize the striking of MVP.  For Page, output and timing will be the key as he is expected to be able to get in-and-out against the more plodding Lima.  While Page frequently drops his hands and makes opponents weary, he may benefit more from a more conventional striking approach where he can more easily defend himself and maintain a high output.

London, are you ready?!@PhenomLima and @MichaelPage247 are on weight and ready to square off TOMORROW night. #Bellator267

Lima vs. MVP 2 | AT A NEW TIME! | 🇺🇸 4pm ET/1pm PT @SHOSports | 🇬🇧 9pm BST on @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/liGNPxQc1K

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) September 30, 2021

A victory for Lima is expected to put him in position to take on another rising contender such as Jason Jackson or Neiman Gracie where the winner could be put in position to challenge for the title.  For Page, a victory is expected to lock in a title shot in what would be one of the most anticipated fights of 2022 for Bellator.  A large part of that may also hinge on the reception in London.  Bellator has committed to maintaining a strong presence in Europe, but having a star like Page headline a title fight in the UK if all goes well on Friday could be a whole other level entirely for the promotion.

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Whiteford (16-4) enters his second bout with the promotion at Bellator 267 on Friday, opposite Andrew Fisher. It’s his first fight since November of 2019, where the former UFC fighter knocked out Sam Sicilia. That was a solid promotional debut for Whiteford, but unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic hit shortly after.

“I hope I’ve found a new home in Bellator,” Whiteford said during the event’s media day. “Nothing to complain about. So if all goes to plan, I’d like to finish out my career with Bellator. I think after this fight, I’ve got another two on the contract.” The Scottish fighter known as “The Hammer” is hoping to renew his contract after that, and possibly see the promotion heading to his native Scotland. Or renew it even sooner if possible.

“Ideally I’d love to renegotiate after the second fight, after I knock Andrew out in Fight of the Night. Hopefully I’m in a good position,” added Whitedord. “If not, we’ll do the contract and renegotiate at the end. But while I’m happy with where I’m at in Bellator, it’s always good to earn a little extra money, so I’d like to get the contract bumped up.”

Whiteford admitted that there’s some tough competition in Bellator. “Every organization has got some dangerous guys throughout.” He’s letting others judge the distance between the UFC and Bellator, but one thing that can’t be overlooked is his time away from competition. Whiteford has said he’s stayed active in the gym, but asked if the gym could replicate live fight experience, he admitted “probably not, to be honest.”

“I think most fighters if they’re honest enough will say they’re better if they’re active, I would think. But it’s not like I fight at a ten and I go in the gym and I drop to the six,” he told Cageside Press. “I’m always hovering about, firing on all cylinders. Definitely maybe sharpness and stuff like that [might decline], but I don’t think it’s that important as long as you’re training consistently, and level-headed like I am.”

Regardless of where or who he’s fighting, you’re going to get the same fight, Whiteford said. “I’m not one who gets effected by anything outside of that. So honestly it doesn’t even make a difference to me where I fight or how often and that, but ideally I’d like to be more active, and that would probably push my performance up a little bit.”

Of course, “everybody’s been in the same boat recently,” he noted, with the pandemic. Hopefully, Friday marks the start of more activity for the featherweight.

Watch the full Bellator 267 virtual media day press scrum with Robert Whiteford 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.

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“I want to be tested, I want nothing but smoke, and that’s what I’m getting with Bellator,” Trainer said during Wednesday’s Bellator 267 media day. The pair face off on the main card of the upcoming event, where Trainer will be in the spotlight once again.

Trainer (4-0) is expecting “a scrap” in London on Friday, he told Cageside Press. “It’s gonna be a scrap. Like you said, Yannick is a more experienced opponent. The outcome I don’t believe will change. It’s going to be a war, I’m ready for a war, I worked very hard for this fight. I believe I’m going to finish Yannick within 15 minutes, but I’m looking forward to a scrap.”

While Trainer is only 4-0 as a professional, a 10-fight amateur career has him prepared to take on some of the best light heavyweights in the world. “I had 10 fights, which in the UK, that’s quite rare to do,” Trainer noted. He had been aiming for more, mind you. “I had 10 fights and 25 pull-outs. The goal was to have 20 fights and then go pro, I wanted to be one of the most experienced light heavyweights, one of the most experienced UK MMA fighters going through the amateur rosters, but big guys are few and far between, and there’s a lot of wet-wipes in the UK who tend to pull out last minute. So my amateur career, I’m very blessed to be able to have 10 fights. It’s not as experienced as I would have liked to have been, but it served me well.”

One unexpected twist in the build-up to Trainer’s return was to see him rather fired up about his time on the sidelines. “The Gent” is generally quite the gentleman, but he was put off after spending a full year on the shelf despite being ready to fight. He’d even offered to step into the light heavyweight grand prix as an alternate, but the promotion didn’t call.

“I was furious, sir. I wasn’t angry, I was fuming,” he said of his mood while stuck waiting for a fight. During the pandemic, he’d painted what he admits might have been a false pretense in his head, thinking “‘right, they’ve built me up to be this prospect, I’ve worked so hard to gain a contract, yeah there’s no fights in the UK but there are fights in the States, and there’s European guys going out to the States, I’ll be going out to the States.’ When they didn’t send me out and I had to wait another 12 months, I had such a chip on my shoulder about it.”

Neither Trainer nor his manager know why Bellator chose to let him sit, “but they gave me the opportunity now, and I’m very grateful for that. And I’m taking that chip on the shoulder as more fuel for the fire.”

That having been said, Trainer was clear he has “nothing but love for Bellator. I’m so grateful that they’ve given me this opportunity and I pray after my contract is done after this we can work it out and I re-sign, and I’ll continue to build a legacy with Bellator.”

Watch the full Bellator 267 virtual media day press scrum with Luke Trainer 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.

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