Logan Storley claimed the interim Bellator Welterweight title in London on Friday with a split-decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46) triumph over Michael “Venom” Page at the OVO Arena Wembley.
Page was looking to become just the third-ever British fighter to become a world champion in MMA, following Michael Bisping (UFC Middleweight champion in 2016) and Liam McGeary (Bellator Light Heavyweight champion in 2015), but failed to get the job done at Bellator 281 in arguably the biggest night of his career.
Page, whose nickname is “MVP,” was initially scheduled to face Yaroslav Amosov, who had to withdraw due to his active service in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February.
Storley stepped in with eight weeks to prepare for the fight.
Storely tapped into his four-time NCAA All-American wrestling pedigree as he tussled with Page for much of an uneventful opening round, a theme for the fight as the American repeatedly aimed to bring the combat to the mat.
The South Dakota-born fighter looked better in the second round, too, keeping Page, Bellator’s No. 9 ranked pound-for-pound fighter, at bay. But MVP sprang into action in the third, opening with a jumping knee kick, as well as landing a series of powerful blows.
The London crowd booed on-and-off for in the remaining round of the fight as Storley looked to keep Page off his feet, always staying busy enough to avoid a restart.
Page looked for a finish in the final round but went unsuccessful, leaving his fate to the judges, who awarded the victory to Storley.
“Boo me all you want, nobody stands with him,” Storley told the crowd after the fight. “So can boo me, but I’m the world champ.”
The win for Storley means he follows in the footsteps of his hometown hero Brock Lesnar in becoming an MMA world champion. The pair both wrestled at Webster High School in rural South Dakota.
Storely’s only career defeat came against Amosov via split decision in November 2020.
