Paul Daley says he isn’t still holding a grudge against Michael Page no matter what his promoters say. But he also still wants a rematch with the fighter nicknamed “Venom.”
Daley and Page fought what was billed as the biggest grudge match in Bellator history in February at Bellator 216. The welterweight grand prix quarterfinal instead turned out to be a tactical affair, one that went to a razor-thin decision on the scorecards as Page got the unanimous nod.
Page continues on in the tournament to fight former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima in the semifinals, and now Daley (40-17-2 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) has his next bout lined up, as he’ll meet veteran Erick Silva (20-10 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) on June 22 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London.
But while Daley has his mind on the impending Silva bout, he’s not afraid to admit he wants another crack at MVP. Daley says he’s rewatched the fight on many occasions, scores it differently every time, and to him, that’s proof the bout should be run back.
“It was a close fight. I’ve watched it 10 times,” Daley said. “I score it differently each time so for that instance, then yeah, I would like the rematch. I would like the victory to be more clear, so yeah, definitely a fight I would look to get back.”
While Daley insists he has nothing personal against Page, he admits to having a chip on his shoulder on what he perceives as playing second fiddle in the lead to their bout.
“If you look at the whole buildup to the event, they basically built the fight around Michael Page,” Daley said. “Because I was invited to the grudge match. Like I said, there was no grudge for me. I’m a professional fighter, and I was just there to fight.
“Again, I don’t want to dwell on it,” Daley continued. “But there were certain aspects, such as a T-shirt, there was a snake, you could barely see it, it was supposed to represent me as Semtex, you know? There were a lot of different things in the buildup, he did a lot of extra interviews that I didn’t do, stupid things like that, but it’s not something I want to dwell on.”
A rematch isn’t imminent, given Page will continue in the tournament (Daley believes Lima will defeat Page). But nonetheless, Daley hopes their paths will cross again down the road.
“The fight happened, he’s going forward to face Douglas Lima, I’m here and hopefully will get a rematch,” Daley said. “I think I’m deserving of a rematch.”
For more on Bellator London, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
