I had a difficult time determining what news was more “noteworthy” for today, but I decided to lead with the guy who is actually a fighter. Michael Page finally has his next bout with Bellator booked. His fight is scheduled to take place on October 23rd at Bellator 144, so his opponent Charlie Ontiveros only has a couple of weeks of preparation for the biggest test in his career. At least Bellator is seasonal with it’s matchmaking, I mean fall is the time for squash, right? Now, I tend to be pretty critical of the job Scott Coker has done with Bellator at the best of times, but this is just a waste of everyone’s time. Sure, Page is going to go out there and get a nice knockout to add to his highlight reel, and that should be fun, but there is literally zero substance to this matchup. Perhaps the higher-ups at Bellator decided to pull back the reigns on Page following his performance against Nah-Shon Burrell, or perhaps lopsided booking is the only thing this team knows how to do. Either way, Ontiveros is just another lateral move in the career of Page, who Bellator seems to want to groom as a star, but is unwilling to book as one. Ontiveros has fought in Texas-based Legacy FC for the entirety of his nine-fight career, posting a 6-3 record. All three of Ontiveros’ losses have come via TKO, and that number is likely to increase to four after a date with Page. Prior to this bout, Ontiveros’ biggest fight was against Strikeforce veteran Todd Moore, a bout he lost in the second round by TKO. Oh well, at least Bellator 144 also features competitive bouts like Brennan Ward against Dennis Olson, and Brandon Halsey versus a guy who was taken down and swept by Joe Schilling. I’m sure there’s no way we seen another bunch of betting lines around -1000 for a Bellator card when they get released on fight week. As for the news that doesn’t involve a fighter, Phil Brooks (CM Punk) suffered an injury in training camp which will push back his yet-to-be-scheduled debut for the UFC. The former pro wrestler is set to turn 37 later this month, and it’s getting harder and harder to see his MMA career being anything more than a one-and-done, if it even amounts to that much.
