Michael Page comes up short against Logan Storley in Bellator 281 interim title bid

Michael “Venom”Page came up short in his bid to win the interim welterweight title at Bellator 281 on Friday night, losing a split decision to Logan Storley.

Londoner Page (20-2) was seeking to claim the belt in his hometown after his original opponent – official champion Yaroslav Amosov – withdrew to aid his native Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion.

American Storley (14-1) used his wrestling prowess to neutralise Page’s kickboxing approach for much of the main event at Wembley Arena, doing enough to beat the 35-year-old on two of the three judges’ scorecards (49-46, 48-47, 47-48).

“Thanks for having me London,” Storley said after his victory. “Boo me all you want, nobody stands with him.

“I’ve never felt that speed or agility, I saw the big shots coming and I put my head down. They can boo me all they want, I did what I needed to do and now I’m a world champ.”

Earlier in the night, Fabian Edwards – brother of UFC welterweight Leon Edwards – knocked out former UFC champion Lyoto Machida in the first round, and fellow Briton Paul Daley bowed out of mixed martial arts with a knockout of Wendell Giacomo.

Full results

Logan Storley def. Michael Page via split decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)

Fabian Edwards def. Lyoto Machida via first-round KO (punches, 3:18)

Kana Watanabe def. Denise Kielholtz via second-round submission (triangle, 3:03)

Paul Daley def. Wendell Giacomo via second-round KO (punches, 4:09)

Simon Biyong def. Luke Trainer via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 28-27)

Daniel Weichel def. Robert Whiteford via first-round TKO (punches, 1:12)

Elina Kallionidou def. Kate Jackson via second-round TKO (strikes, 4:43)

Oliver Enkamp def. Mark Lemminger via third-round submission (buggy choke, 0:35)

Alfie Davis