Michael Page vs. Ricky Rainey Is A Good Opener For the Bellator 120 PPV, But Should Be A Tournament Qualifier

By Adam Martin

Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view card features a number of intriguing fights, and perhaps the one that’s most exciting — at least on paper — is the lightweight bout between top prospect Michael Page and Ricky Rainey, a three-round fight that opens the main card.

The 27-year-old Page has been much ballyhooed ever since he made his mixed martial arts debut in 2012. The freestyle kickboxer and karateka won his first fight via the rarely-seen tornado kick, and has since won four more fights to improve his MMA record to a perfect 5-0, with all wins coming via stoppage.

Courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA

With his incredible style of striking, he’s drawn comparisons to former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and even though comparing anyone to Silva is a tall task, at least Page’s style and knockout ability makes for a more apt comparison to the G.O.A.T. than Philippe Nover of TUF fame.

As for Rainey, the 30-year-old is 8-2 so far in his pro MMA career and has picked up six wins via stoppage, including a knockout win in his Bellator debut, which came earlier this year at Bellator 116. Sure, he’s not as highly touted as Page, but he’s a solid prospect in his own right, and absolutely has a puncher’s chance to take Page out in what would be a massive upset based on the betting odds. Regardless who wins, though, I expect a very fun fight between these two, and I totally understand why it’s opening up the main card.

What I can’t understand, though, is why Page and Rainey are good enough to open up the main card of the first-ever Bellator PPV card, but this fight isn’t being considered a welterweight tournament qualifier.

During the post-Bellator 119 media scrum last weekend in Rama, Ontario, Canada, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney was asked if the winner of Page vs. Rainey was going to get a spot in the next welterweight tournament. Rebney, while saying the fight is going to be awesome, wouldn’t commit to putting the winner in the next tourney, saying he wasn’t sure if either man was ready for that tournament slot.

I just don’t get it. Isn’t the purpose of the tournament to have exciting matches featuring the best up-and-comers Bellator has to offer in a particular weight class? If that’s the case, then why aren’t Rebney and Page in a qualifier for the next eight-man bracket, if not the tournament itself?

Yes, I know that Page only has five MMA fights, but he’s 27 years old already. At some point, Page is going to need to take the next step in his career, and at some point Bellator is going to have to stop giving him fights against unproven fighters and match him up against a legitimate opponent to see just how good (or bad) he really is. As for Rainey, Page is the right step up for him at this point in time, and if he can take out the hotshot prospect, Bellator will have to give him a step up too. And that step up is a tournament berth.

I’m expecting a very fun fight between Page and Rainey, one that will likely end in a knockout, but Bellator should have raised the stakes and told the winner he will get a tournament berth. Because if they’re good enough to open up the PPV, they’re good enough for a tournament.

Bellator 120