Bellator 258 results: Michael Page smashes Derek Anderson’s nose with slick kick in TKO win

Michael Page gave Derek Anderson issues with his range, then smashed his nose in with a kick to add to his lengthy highlight reel.

Page (19-1 MMA, 15-1 BMMA) hammered Anderson (17-4 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) with a left kick in the first round. When Anderson bounced back up from it, Page put him down again with a right. And though Anderson survived the frame, the doctor waved the 175-pound catchweight bout off between rounds.

With the TKO win, Page set Bellator’s record for most knockouts. Then he called out the only man to ever beat him, welterweight champion Douglas Lima – without saying his name.

Bellator 258 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Page came out showy, like usual, bouncing with his hands down, then threw a kick. Anderson winged a right hand that was off the mark, but a minute in Page landed a big right that had Anderson covering up. Page quickly mocked him and mimicked the cover-up, then tried to land a jumping knee moments later. A right uppercut from Page was partially blocked, but a left-right combo was good seconds after that. Anderson shot in for a takedown and tied him up along the fence in the clinch for 90 seconds until Page finally broke away.

Page then threw a left kick that drilled Anderson in the nose. He hit the canvas, then bounced back up. He was bleeding immediately and his nose clearly was broken. Seconds later, Page landed a punch that put Anderson on the canvas. Anderson managed to survive the round, but in between frames the cageside doctor called it off with Anderson’s nose smashed inward in a bad way.

“I knew I’d land (the kick). I come in straight lines – I’m a sniper. I come down the middle. I wanted to see if he’d keep going to the same side, so I knew I’d land it. He’s a tough guy. I really respect that. I’m used to tough guys. Tough guys are only good when they can hit their target. Strength means everything with you can land it, but nothing when you can’t.”

Page said he wants Lima, who knocked him out two years ago this month.

“Everybody knows who I want. There’s one redemption fight I’m looking for. He’s constantly got excuses. I’m not interested in calling his name, but everyone knows who he is. We will meet, and the same stuff is going to happen.”

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 258 results include:

• Michael Page def. Derek Anderson via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 1, 5:00

• Raufeon Stots def. Josh Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Lorenz Larkin def. Rafael Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

• Patchy Mix def. Albert Morales via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:40

• Omar Hussein vs. Logan Storley* – scrapped due to Hussein failed medicals

• Johnny Eblen def. Daniel Madrid via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:44

• Johnny Campbell def. Henry Corrales via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:12

• Johnny Soto def. Weber Almeida via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

• Erik Perez def. Blaine Shutt via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)