Unbeaten welterweight Michael "Venom" Page is fighting in Bellator for a third time in 2016, and will be taking on a familiar name.
Page confirmed on ESPN that Fernando Gonzalez would be his opponent on November 19, and already started talking trash about his opponent.
"My next victim, shall I say, will be Fernando Gonzalez," Page said. "He's a tough guy. That just means the punching bag is going to last a bit longer and you get to see more MVP. That's the only thing I can see being the cause of why everyone wants to see this fight."
Page and Gonzalez has had a tough time this year trying to square off against each other. They were originally set to meet at Bellator 151 back in March, but Page had to withdraw from the bout because of a prior commitment. Another attempt to schedule the bout for Bellator 158 fell apart when a visa issue prevented Gonzalez from traveling to England.
Page then made headlines at Bellator 158 when he kneed in the skull of Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos with a flying knee followed by Page putting on a Pokémon hat and threw a pokéball at Santos. He has finished all but one of his professional opponents in his career, which started in 2012.
Gonzalez has been undefeated since signing with Bellator in 2014. He defeated Gilbert Smith by split decision in his most recent bout and is now riding a five-fight winning streak.
You can see the press release Bellator sent Fighful.com below:
After originally being slated to compete against one another at “Bellator 151” and “Bellator 158,” Michael “Venom” Page (11-0) has once again been booked to fight Fernando Gonzalez (25-13), this time on November 19 at SAP Center in Bellator MMA’s stomping grounds of San Jose, Calif.
The card will mark the second time this year that Bellator MMA has taken its show to the beautiful SAP Center, which is home to the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The welterweight pairing makes up one fight of the event’s main card, which will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE. Additional contests will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for this stacked MMA card go on sale Friday, September 2 at Bellator.com, as well as SAP Center Box Office and Ticketmaster. Bellator Nation presale offer will take place August 31 and September 1.
Page, a highlight reel king before and after the bell rings, was at it again earlier this year, when Bellator MMA invaded the United Kingdom at “Bellator 158: London.” During his bout, “MVP” took care of business the only way he knows how, with an early stoppage and unforgettable celebration that was heard and seen around the world. Page’s impressive flying knee knockout of Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos was his ninth stoppage in the opening frame. Now, the seven-fight Bellator MMA veteran looks to put to rest the opinion that he cannot defeat the always game “Menifee Maniac.”
Gonzalez enters the cage currently riding a string of five consecutive victories, all of which have come under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion. The 32-year-old Menifee, Calif., native has been competing professionally since 2003, with 25 wins under his belt, including 16 of the KO/submission variety. After a brief pause from MMA action to challenge Paul “Semtex” Daley in the kickboxing portion of the groundbreaking “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1” event in 2015, Gonzalez returned to the sport of MMA, where he recently defeated Gilbert Smith in a split decision win at“Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell.” The win improves his overall record under the Bellator MMA banner to 5-0 and now puts him in a position to officially proclaim himself as the only man to beat “Venom,” and further his case for a 170-pound title shot.
Bellator 163 takes place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on November 19.
Photo courtesy of Bellator MMA
