Watch the fighter faceoffs from Bellator Europe 6 media day in London, where Michael Page and Fabian Edwards were on hand.
LONDON – Watch fighters competing on the Bellator Europe 6 card face off Thursday during media day. MMA Junkie was on the scene for all the happenings.
In the main event, striking sensation [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) meets short-notice replacement [autotag]Gianni Melillo[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). Meanwhile, undefeated [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) squares off against [autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) as part of the card’s co-main event.
You can check out those faceoffs, as well as a host of others, in the video above.
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Bellator Europe 6 takes place Saturday at the SSE Arena. The card streams on MMA Junkie.
James Gallagher wasn’t about to let some cheap shots about his mother slide.
Things got heated between [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Kimbel[/autotag] during Bellator Europe 6 media day.
Though neither fighter will be competing Saturday night, both were on hand for Thursday’s festivities in London. The altercation appears to have stemmed from a comment that Kimbel made on an Instagram post of Gallagher with his mother.
According to a post on Sherdogs forums, the since-deleted Instagram post was a vulgar shot at Gallagher’s mom. Kimbel also said “now let me murk him” in a separate birthday post by Bellator’s official Instagram.
At media day, Gallagher and Kimbel shouted expletives and threats at each other from across the room. They had to be restrained from the potential brawl that was brewing. Bellator Europe 6 headliner Michael Page and co-headliner Mike Shipman had to step in, according to MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, who was on the scene. Gallagher was so upset that, at one point, he turned on Page, who was simply trying to keep the peace.
You can watch the chaotic scene unfold in the video above.
While Kimbel doesn’t currently have a fight booked, James Gallagher is set to headline Bellator Europe 7 vs. Cal Ellenor on Feb. 22 in Dublin.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Kent Kauppinen silenced the Italian crowd at Bellator 211 in a matter of 70 seconds.
Riding a two-fight losing streak, [autotag]Kent Kauppinen[/autotag] entered enemy territory in December 2018.
Taking on a home crowd favorite in Italian MMA legend Alessio Sakara at Bellator 211, the chips were seemingly stacked against Kauppinen. However, in jiust 70 seconds, he quickly erased any and all doubt. The English middleweight silenced the RDS Stadium Arena in Rome when he knocked Sakara out cold at 1:10 of the first round.
Upon landing a vicious counter left hook, Kauppinen appeared to hesitate on throwing any follow-up shots. However, referee Dan Miragliotta was reluctant to waive off the contest. As a result, Kauppinen finished off the job with two hard right hands.
Immediately following the finish, Kauppinen displayed concern for his downed opponent, who struggled to regain consciousness. The win was Kauppinen’s first under the Bellator banner.
The victory set Kauppinen up for another marquee matchup in his next outing. At Bellator 223 in June, Kauppinen battled Melvin Manhoef in the evening’s co-main event, which he lost by unanimous decision.
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Saturday night, Kauppinen (11-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returns to the cage at Bellator Europe 6 when he takes on Andy Manzalo (22-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).
Bellator Europe 6 takes at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The card streams on MMA Junkie.
Ahead of his Bellator Europe 6 return, watch Kent Kauppinen’s brutal knockout of Alessio Sakara at Bellator 211 in the video above.
Check out the facts and figures about Bellator Europe 6, which takes place Saturday with a Michael Page vs. Giovanni Melillo main event.
Bellator’s final international stop of the year goes down Saturday with Bellator Europe 6, which takes place at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London, with a card that streams entirely on MMA Junkie.
One of Bellator’s most notable names is set to headline the card. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) returns to the cage in the welterweight main event when he takes on promotional newcomer [autotag]Giovanni Melillo[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who serves as an injury replacement for Derek Anderson.
For more on the numbers behind that fight, as well as the rest of the lineup, check below for 15 pre-event facts about Bellator Europe 6.
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Main event
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Page competes in his 13th Bellator welterweight bout, the third most appearances in divisional history behind Andrey Koreshkov (17) and Douglas Lima (16).
Page’s 11 victories in Bellator welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Koreshkov (13) and Lima (13).
Page’s 10-fight Bellator winning streak, snapped in Bellator 221, is the second longest streak in company history behind A.J. McKee (15).
Page’s eight stoppage victories in Bellator welterweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Lima (nine).
Page’s six knockout victories in Bellator welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Lima (eight) and Koreshkov (seven).
Melillo, 34, is the oldest of the six scheduled main card fighters.
Melillo competes in a main event spot in his Bellator debut.
Melillo is 3-3 in his past six fights dating back to December 2017.
Melillo has suffered all four of his career losses by first-round knockout.
Co-main event
[autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), 26, is the youngest of the six scheduled main card fighters.
Edwards becomes the first fighter to make four Bellator appearances in 2019.
Edwards’ three-fight Bellator winning streak at middleweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Anatoly Tokov (five), Rafael Lovato Jr. (four) and Charlie Ward (four).
[autotag]Mike Shipman[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) has earned all 13 of his career victories by stoppage.
Shipman’s four stoppage victories in Bellator middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Alexander Shlemenko (eight) and Rafael Carvalho (six).
Remaining main card
[autotag]Terry Brazier[/autotag] (11-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) is 10-1 in his past 11 fights dating back to November 2015.
MMA Junkie takes a look back through the fights that helped define the career of Bellator welterweight star Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
British welterweight star [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] takes center stage at the SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday as Bellator lands in the U.K. for Bellator Europe 6.
The London Shootfighters-trained star has a reputation for being one of the most flamboyant, spectacular, yet polarizing fighters in the world as Page (15-1 MMA, 11-1 BMMA) has compiled a resume packed with highlight-reel finishes and memorable post-fight celebrations.
Ahead of his main event clash with Italy’s Giovanni Melillo in London this weekend, we take a look at the six fights that have helped define the career of the man known to the MMA world as “MVP.”
Ben Dishman at UCMMA 26: The Real Deal – Feb. 4, 2012
The fight that started it all saw Page make his professional MMA debut at London’s Troxy Theater against white-collar boxer Ben Dishman at UCMMA 26. And “MVP” produced one of the most spectacular debuts we’ve seen from a fighter on their pro debut as he finished Dishman with a stunning tornado kick.
Page’s reaction, standing with his arms spread wide, spoke volumes about his supreme confidence as he announced his arrival as a spectacular new prospect in the sport.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator Europe 6 event in London.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s Bellator Europe 6 event in London.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator Europe 6 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. Bellator Europe 6 takes place Saturday at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The card streams on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all three main card fights inside:
After Derek Anderson’s withdrawal, Michael Page will now face newcomer Giovanni Melillo in the Bellator Europe 6 main event.
[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] will go from facing a veteran to a newcomer.
Bellator officials announced Friday that [autotag]Giovanni Melillo[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will step in for [autotag]Derek Anderson[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) to take on Page (15-1 MMA, 10-1 BMMA) in the Bellator Europe 6 main event.
Bellator Europe 6 takes place Nov. 23 at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London. The event will simulcast on tape delay in the U.S. on Paramount and DAZN. The Bellator Europe 6 portion of the card will stream live in the U.S. on MMA Junkie.
After Anderson was forced to withdraw due to injury, a replacement opponent was quickly found. The 34-year-old Melillo, from Italy, gets his biggest career opportunity. The Cage Warriors and ACB veteran is coming off a unanimous decision win over Will Chope at Fight Clubbing 24 in May.
Page was able to rebound from his first pro loss to current Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima with a flying knee knockout win over Richard Kiely at Bellator 227.