Scott Coker baffled by 'can crusher' comments toward Michael Page, says title shot could be next after Bellator 258

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After Bellator 258, Scott Coker thinks Michael Page is right back in the title picture.

Page (19-1 MMA, 15-1 BMMA) added another highlight-reel moment to his resume when he smashed Derek Anderson’s nose in Friday, inflicting so much damage that the referee had to wave the fight off in between rounds.

With the finish, Page set the record for the most knockouts in Bellator history, then called out the only man to ever beat him: welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

Bellator president Coker had nothing but praise toward Page, who is often criticized for only fighting “cans.” Coker dismissed that notion and said the possibility of Page being next in line for a title shot is not out of the question.

“That I never understood,” Coker told reporters at the Bellator 258 post-fight press conference. “People give him a bad time online, and I’m thinking to myself, this guy is such a highly skilled mixed martial arts athlete and has a traditional karate background, which you saw today, and it’s very effective – and people give him a bad time. I never understood it because he’s fought some of the world’s best. He fought Douglas Lima as a titleholder in the semifinals. He got caught, but Douglas Lima told me, ‘Coker, that guy, he hit me and he hurt me.’ He’s one of the few guys that Douglas has told me that he’s gotten hurt by.

“So to me, the guy is explosive, he’s fast, he’s got a lot of power. He could knock people out. He’s a dangerous guy, and for anybody, because his style is so unorthodox, it’s going to be interesting for any athlete to try to overcome that because if you’re a wrestler and you try and take him down, you might end up with a knee to your face. He’s fast, and I think he deserves a title shot – so let’s see what happens with the Lima fight. But depending on what happens and when ‘MVP’ wants to fight again, I don’t think a title shot is out of the question, to be honest.”

Lima (32-8 MMA, 14-3 BMMA), who scored a second-round knockout of Page in the grand prix semifinals in May 2019, is set to defend his title against Yaroslav Amosov in the Bellator 260 main event June 11 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.