Goiti Yamauchi vs Michael Page opens up Bellator 292 main card this weekend
Bellator MMA’s next event comes this weekend at Bellator 292, going down on March 10, 2023, live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and there are some incredibly exciting match ups to look forward to at this event.
Headlining the event is a title bout between Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0) and former WEC & UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (30-11), just after the co-main event between former Rizin lightweight title challenger Tofiq Musayev (20-4) and Russian standout Alexandr Shabliy (22-3).
Our feature fight of the night showcases former interim Bellator heavyweight champion Valentin Moldavsky (11-2, 1 NC) and former two-time light-heavyweight title challenger Linton Vassell (22-8, 1 NC), and the preliminary main event of the evening comes between a pair of UFC veterans in Enrique Barzola (18-7-2) and Erik Perez (20-8).
But, opening up the main card is perhaps the most intriguing matchup of them all, coming at 170 lbs between a pair of standout finishers in no. 2 ranked welterweight contender Michael Page (20-2) and no. 5 ranked Goiti Yamauchi (28-5).
Michael Page joined the Bellator roster in March of 2013 with a record of just 3-0, and he’d win his next 11 fights en route to a 14-0 record going into his first fight with former multi-time welterweight champion Douglas Lima. He was KO’d in that that, before going on to win his next six-straight, avenging his defeat to Lima in the sixth win of that span.
At this point Page was 20-1 as a professional with 15 finishes (12 knockout, 3 submission), and he was now challenging Logan Storley for the interim Bellator welterweight championship to see who would eventually face undisputed champion Yaroslav Amosov.
After five rounds were completed, Storley was awarded the very controversial split decision victory.
Page has fought just once since then, where he lost a unanimous decision in his BKFC debut to UFC veteran Mike Perry.
Goiti Yamauchi joined Bellator with a record of 14-1 as the Iron FC featherweight champion, also in 2013.
Since then, he’s lost just four times to the likes of Will Martinez (UD), PFL championship finalist Bubba Jenkins (UD), former multi-time lightweight champion Michael Chandler (UD), and most recently UFC veteran Dan Moret (SD) in April of 2021.
However, he comes into this bout on a three-fight win streak, and of the 14 wins he’s accumulated in the promotion, 12 come via finish. He only has three knockout victories throughout his 33-fight career, but two of them come in his most recent three outings.
Yamauchi’s striking has become dangerous at quite a rapid rate, and his grappling has always been at a very high level. He’s one of those talents you can count on to produce consistent finishes.
Michael Page is an elite level striker, as well all know, medaling in a number of semi-contact kickboxing tournaments, his most notable being a silver medal at the World Combat Games, as well as each a gold and silver medal at the WAKO World Championships. He’s also 2-0 as a professional boxer and 1-0 as a pro kickboxer.
Goiti Yamauchi on the other hand, a BJJ black belt mind you, went 5-0 in amateur boxing, as well as 7-0 in kickboxing prior to beginning his MMA career. What’s more, of his 28 wins in MMA, a whopping 21 come via submission.
You do not want to miss this one!
Who wins this epic welterweight battle going down at Bellator 292 this weekend?
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