The SSE Arena in London is set to host Bellator 235 on Saturday, November 23. This is the second time Bellator has come to London in 2019 and is the sixth installment of the Bellator European Series. Michael “MVP” Page was set to take on Derek Anderson in the headliner, but Giovanni Melillo has stepped in for this welterweight bout.
In the co-main event, Terry Brazier and Soren Bak will tangle in a lightweight fight. We have the complete fight card for you, along with MMA betting thoughts on some of the key matchups.
Bellator London 2 Odds, Preview & Expert Picks
- When: Saturday, 5 PM ET
- Where: The SSE Arena, London
- Live Stream: Bellator.com
Bellator London 2 Main Card
- Michael Page vs Giovanni Melillo (Welterweight)
- Terry Brazier vs Soren Bank (Lightweight)
- Fabian Edwards vs Michael Shipman (Middleweight)
Bellator London 2 Preliminary Card
- Charlie Ward vs Pietro Penini (Middleweight)
- Denise Kielholtz vs Sabriye Sengul (Women’s Flyweight)
- Kent Kauppinen vs Andy Manzolo (Middleweight)
- George Tokkos vs Kevin Fryer (Middleweight)
- Charlie Leary vs Tim Wilde (Lightweight)
- Aiden Lee vs Damian Frankiewicz (Featherweight)
- Robert Whiteford vs Sam Sicilia (Featherweight)
- Alfie Davis vs Alessandro Botti (Catchweight – 161 lbs)
- Walter Gahadza vs Lewis Long (Welterweight)
- Akonne Wanliss vs Tim Barnett (Lightweight)
- Raphael Uchegbu vs Shane Campbell (Welterweight)
- Chris Bungard vs Benjamin Brander (Lightweight)
- Nathan Rose vs Harry Hardwick (Featherweight)
- Jeremy Petley vs Tommy Mearns (Catchweight – 150 lbs)
- Josie Barber vs Charlotte McIntyre (Women’s Featherweight)
Page vs Melillo
Michael Page vs Giovanni Melillo looks grim for Melillo, coming in at the replacement. Melillo, called “The Punisher,” does deliver the pain when he wins, as 10 of his 13 wins have come via stoppage (eight knockouts and two submissions).However, over his last six fights, he has won just three of them, and he gives four inches in height to MVP, standing just 5’11” as opposed to Page’s 6’3” stature.
Page should go for the knockout in this fight, given his height and reach advantage. He also took on a tomato can in his last fight, when he took down Richard Kiely. Page stepped back from the action, while the clock was ticking, to taunt Kiely, an action that drew him a warning.
Then, Page moved in and brought Kiely quickly to the ground — then taunted him again while he was on top of him, losing a point. It did not take long for Page to finish matters as he delivered a flying knee at 2:47 in the first round, finishing the fight early.
If you like Melillo here, you could be thinking that Page will take matters lightly after having his original opponent replaced, but Page has not shown that tendency to this point in his career.
Final Bellator 235 Betting Prediction: MVP wins via knockout.
Edwards vs Shipman
Fabian Edwards vs Michael Shipman matches a pair of fighters who have developed a great deal of animosity between them. Shipman promised to bounce Edwards’ “enormous forehead” off the mat during their fight, and that is just one of the more colorful insults that have run back and forth heading into this fight.Edwards comes in unbeaten (8-0, 4-0 Bellator), while Shipman has more wins but a few blemishes (13-2, 4-1 Bellator).
Edwards approaches his fighting with a calmer approach, waiting for his opponent to provide an opening before smashing through it. His kicking game is strong, particularly high and to the left. Shipman has more of a straight-ahead approach, using his aggressiveness to wear down his opponents and move toward a finish, if possible.
He does have the tendency to wear down late, as it seems impossible to maintain that high-octane style for an entire fight.
If you like Shipman, you see him finding a way through Edwards’ defenses; if you like Edwards, you see him waiting for that crack to open in Shipman’s defense and then exploit it ruthlessly.
Shipman lost his last time out, his first setback in six years, running into Costello van Steenis at Bellator 223 and taking a stoppage in the second round. However, he sees this as a perfect chance to bounce back and start another winning streak.
Final Bellator 235 Betting Prediction: Shipman wins via decision.
