This past Friday, Michael "Venom" Page finally picked up the kind of win over elite an elite fighter critics have been demanding for years when he took a split decision over former welterweight champion Douglas Lima in the main event of Bellator 267. With the win, Page moved into the pound-for-pound list in the Bellator MMA Fighter Rankings, as well as moving into the No. 1 spot in the 170-pound division.
Page's win wasn't without some controversy as he spent much of two of the three rounds of the fight battling off his back. In the end, two of the three official judges felt Page's work on the feet was worth more than Lima's work on the ground, getting Page a measure of revenge after having been knocked out by Lima in the only loss in the career of "MVP."
Also entering the pound-for-pound rankings is Leah McCourt, who checks in at No. 9 on the women's list after taking a decision win over Jessica Borga at the event. McCourt is now riding a six-fight winning streak after losing her professional debut.
Below are the top-10 pound-for-pound rankings for both the men and women. The full top-10 rankings for each division within the promotion can be found here. The rankings are voted on by 17 members of the media.
Editor's note: CBS Sports insider Brian Campbell is a member of the 17-person voting panel. Bellator and CBS Sports are both owned by ViacomCBS.
Bellator Rankings (Oct. 5)
Men's pound-for-pound
| Fighter | Record |
|---|---|
1. AJ McKee | 18-0 |
2. Patricio Pitbull | 32-5 |
3. Vadim Nemkov | 14-2 |
4. Gegard Mousasi | 48-7-2 |
5. Ryan Bader | 28-6 |
6. Yaroslav Amosov | 26-0 |
7. Sergio Pettis | 21-5 |
8. Michael Page | 20-1 |
9. Corey Anderson | 15-5 |
10. Valentin Moldavsky | 11-1 |
Women's pound-for-pound
| Fighter | Record |
|---|---|
1. Cris Cyborg | 24-2 |
2. Juliana Velasquez | 12-0 |
3. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane | 11-1 |
4. Liz Carmouche | 16-7 |
5. Denise Kielholtz | 6-3 |
6. Arlene Blencowe | 14-8 |
7. Cat Zingano | 12-4 |
8. Kana Watanabe | 10-1-1 |
9. Leah McCourt | 6-1 |
10. Leslie Smith | 12-9-1 |
