Douglas Lima doesn’t understand the notion that he’s ducking a rematch with Michael Page.
Back in May 2019, Lima took on Page in a Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix semifinal bout. Lima handed Page the first loss of his pro MMA career, knocking out “MVP” in the second round. Lima would go on to win the tournament, becoming a three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion.
Page has gone on to win five straight, with four of those bouts ending in a knockout or TKO. Lima is set to put his gold on the line against Yaroslav Amosov this Friday night (June 11) in the main event of Bellator 260.
During an interview with MMAFighting.com, Lima dismissed Page’s narrative that he’s been avoiding a rematch.
“Man, I just wanted him to challenge someone closer to the belt. Of course, [Page won] five fights, four knockouts, he’s doing well, but, well, he has to fight someone at a higher level. He should call out [Lorenz] Larkin, [Andrey] Koreshkov, someone who has already fought for the belt or has been champion.
“To me, if I really were to say, he’s hand-picking his opponents, right? He’s choosing who he wants [to fight]. He says he wants the fight [against me], he talks a lot saying I’m running and whatnot [laughs]. Come on, my friend, so you think they offered me the fight and I said no?”
Lima went on to say that if he gets past Amosov and if Bellator wants him to fight Page next, he will not turn it down.
“I won my belt and went after another one, [Gegard] Mousasi’s. I want big fights, I want to fight guys that will elevate my name even more. If it’s him, ok. If not, he has to fight someone that gets him to the belt. I think that’s up to him. If they offer me the fight I’ll take it right away, no problem. I’m here to fight. I’m the champion and I won’t pick and choose opponents. That’s not something a champion does. We’ll fight again one day.”
Who do you think would win a rematch between Douglas Lima and Michael Page?
