Knockdown Daily 10/2/21: Michael Page Avenges Sole Loss Against Douglas Lima
Michael Page's split decision victory over Douglas Lima leads the MMA headlines for Saturday
Welcome to the Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is covering all the latest in MMA, including yesterday’s Bellator show, tonight’s UFC lineup, and all of the other recent happenings in the sport.
News
Michael Page Gets Close Split Decision Win Over Douglas Lima, Avenges Sole Pro Loss
Michael Page avenged his sole pro loss on Friday night, defeating former Bellator Welterweight Champion Douglas Lima via split decision after three rounds.
The fight headlined Bellator 267, which took place at the SSE Arena in London, England.
Page was aggressive to start the fight, coming forward with combinations that overwhelmed his opponent. Lima hit the canvas twice in the opening round, although it was hard to tell at times whether it came due to a knockdown or a slip.
Lima slowed the momentum of Page later in the first round with a takedown, scoring it halfway into the frame and keeping him down.
Lima became more comfortable in the second round, opening up with strikes and continuing to get takedowns as well. He nearly caught Page with the same finishing sequence as their first fight, chopping him down with a leg kick and then going for an uppercut to the head – but Page was able to avoid the punch.
The fight remained a close on the feet in the third round, with Lima continuing to land takedowns as well.
Page set his sights on Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov following his win.
“Now I want that bling,” said Page in his post-fight interview, referring to Amosov’s belt.
Amosov dethroned Lima just earlier this year, going five rounds against him to take the promotion’s 170-pound title.
Page, being the usual showman that he is, had a big entrance in front of his home crowd which saw him accompanied by famous rapper Skepta.
Page entered Friday on a five-fight winning streak that saw him put on dominant performances lower-level talent. His most recent fight before the weekend was against Derek Anderson, who he stopped in the first round due to a broken nose inflicted by a head kick.
A full report on Bellator 267 can be read here.
Here are the quick results:
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EDT / 6:00PM BST) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Khurshed Kakhorov def. Jair Junior via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Chiara Penco def. Katharina Dalisda via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 2:45)
Bout 3: Fabacary Diatta def. Nathan Rose via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Jack Grant def. Nathan Jones via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:16)
Bout 5: Elina Kallionidou def. Petra Castkova via Submission, Heel Hook (RD 1, 2:07)
Bout 6: Davy Gallon def. Kane Mousah via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Lewis Long def. Michael Dubois via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 0:41)
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST) (Showtime)
Bout 8: Tim Wilde def. Yves Landu via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Luke Trainer def. Yannick Bahati via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:50)
Bout 10: Robert Whiteford vs. Andrew Fisher via No Contest, Unintentional Eye Poke (RD 2, 2:50)
Bout 11: Leah McCourt def. Jessica Borga via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 12: Michael Page def. Douglas Lima via Decision, Split
Days After Win, Dan Hooker Takes UFC 267 Booking Against Islam Makhachev
Just days after picking up a win at UFC’s September 25th pay-per-view event, Dan Hooker is reportedly already set to compete again – in just a few weeks. The 31-year-old lightweight has stepped in on short notice to face Islam Makhachev at the promotion’s October 30th event, per a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
It was reported earlier this week that Makhachev had lost his previous opponent, Rafael dos Anjos, due to injury. The fight was the promotion’s third attempt at pairing the lightweights since last year.
Makhachev is one of the rising stars at lightweight, having strung together an extensive eight-fight win streak since 2016. He won his first UFC main event bout in July, taking Thiago Moises into the fourth round and finishing him with a rear naked choke.
The short-notice call for Hooker is undoubtedly a hard challenge to take.
Hooker put on a strong performance at UFC 266 in late September, going three rounds against Nasrat Haqparast for a decision win. The bout snapped a two-fight losing streak that he had developed against some of the division’s best.
Two Bantamweight Bouts Targeted For UFC 269 Lineup
Two big matchups in the bantamweight division are currently in the process of being added to UFC’s December 11th pay-per-view lineup, per reports. The bouts join the lineup for UFC 269, which doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
UFC Looking To Book Munhoz vs. Cruz
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz could compete late this year, as he is being targeted to face Pedro Munhoz. While the fight hasn’t been officially signed off on, it has been verbally agreed upon, per Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
Cruz scored his first win in nearly five years in March, winning his bout with a split decision victory over Casey Kenney. The former champ had made his return a year prior, losing a bantamweight title shot against Henry Cejudo.
Cruz was UFC’s 135-pound champ in 2016, defending the belt once before dropping it to Cody Garbrandt via unanimous decision.
Munhoz has lost three of his past five bouts, although those losses have come against the top of the division, including former champ Frankie Edgar and current titleholder Aljamain Sterling.
Munhoz last competed in August, losing a decision to Jose Aldo at UFC 265.
Flashy Finisher O’Malley Paired Against Paiva
Sean O’Malley will look to continue his dominant campaign at bantamweight when facing Raulian Paiva. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that the UFC is currently in the process of finalizing this bantamweight fight.
O’Malley will be aiming for his third consecutive finish victory. His sharp striking has put away his last two opponents – veteran Thomas Almeida and tough short-notice newcomer Kris Moutinho.
Paiva is currently on a three-fight winning streak in the UFC. While he will likely not be favored in his fight against O’Malley, that momentum already makes him one of the biggest challenges yet for the rising prospect.
Paiva made the move up to bantamweight in his last fight, changing divisions after four bouts at flyweight. He notably missed weight in his final flyweight bout, coming in three pounds over the non-championship limit.
Paiva’s bantamweight debut was in July, where he picked up a majority decision win over Kyler Phillips.
Veterans Cub Swanson and Darren Elkins Paired For December 18th UFC ‘Fight Night’
It will be a clash of veterans on December 18th when Cub Swanson faces Darren Elkins at a UFC “Fight Night” event. The new featherweight matchup was confirmed by the promotion earlier this week.
Both Elkins and Swanson have competed at a high level of MMA for over a decade.
Swanson has fought since 2004. He joined the WEC roster in 2007, fighting for them for four years before moving to the UFC in 2011. He has since competed 20 times in the promotion, at times attaining a winning streak as long as six consecutive fights at one time.
Swanson was finished in his last bout, getting stopped in just over a minute by Giga Chikadze in May. His previous bout was a successful return from injury, as he scored a finish win over Daniel Pineda in late 2020.
Elkins has fought in the UFC since 2010. He finds himself on a two-fight winning streak currently, riding the momentum of a submission win over Eduardo Garagorri and a recent ground and pound stoppage against Darrick Minner.
UFC Looking To Book Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman For January PPV
A middleweight pairing between Rodolfo Vieira and Wellington Turman could take place at UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2022. The fight is currently being targeted for UFC 270 on January 22nd, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
Vieira bounced back from his sole pro loss in July, finishing Dustin Stoltzfus in the third round with a rear naked choke.
The grappling ace was on the losing side of a massive upset early this year, getting submitted in the second round of a bout against Anthony Hernandez. Prior to then, Vieira had a flawless pro record that saw all of his fights end via submission.
Turman is also being lined up for this booking following a victory. He snapped a two-fight skid in August, taking a split decision win against the experienced Sam Alvey.
A victory in early 2022 would even Turman’s UFC record at three wins and three losses.
Preview
UFC on ESPN+ 51: Santos vs. Walker
Ranked fighters in UFC’s light heavyweight division will headline Saturday night’s “Fight Night” card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The fight has great importance to former title challenger Thiago Santos, as he has the chance to snap a three-fight losing streak when facing Johnny Walker.
The matchup is a first for Walker, who has never competed in a five-round UFC bout before. However, that might not matter if the evening goes his way, as all of his UFC wins have come in the first round.
Saturday’s card will have 12 fights in total. One of the scheduled bouts, a bantamweight meeting between Aspen Ladd and Macy Chiasson, was pulled from the card following Friday’s weigh-ins. Ladd missed weight twice during the weigh-ins, first coming in five-and-a-half pounds over the limit, then later returning and just missing by a pound.
Ladd was visibly uncomfortable while on the scale for the second time, shaking and struggling to stay still as they looked to specify her weight. The cancelled bout continues Ladd’s absence from competition, which is now nearing two years.
A full preview of the event can be read here.
Here’s the lineup:
Preliminary Card (4:00PM EDT / 1:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 1: Alejandro Perez (21-8-1) vs. Johnny Eduardo (28-12) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Shanna Young (7-3) vs. Stephanie Egger (5-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Douglas Silva de Andrade (26-4) vs. Gaetano Pirrello (15-6-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 4: Jamie Mullarkey (13-4) vs. Devonte Smith (11-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Karol Rosa (14-3) vs. Bethe Correia (11-5-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6; Antonina Shevchenko (9-3) vs. Casey O’Neill (7-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 7: Joe Solecki (11-2) vs. Jared Gordon (17-4) (Lightweight)
Main Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (ESPN+ / TSN 2)
Bout 8: Alexander Hernandez (12-4) vs. Mike Breeden (10-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Misha Cirkunov (15-6) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (22-5) (Middleweight)
Bout 10: Niko Price (14-5) vs. Alex Oliveira (22-10-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 11: Kevin Holland (21-7) vs. Kyle Daukaus (10-2) (Middleweight)
Bout 12: Thiago Santos (21-9) vs. Johnny Walker (18-5) (Light Heavyweight)
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