Bellator 179's Derek Anderson on Michael Page fight: I'll be 'his first test,' and 'he's not going to pass'

After a failed attempt at a 170-pound fight with Paul Daley last November, Derek Anderson will have another stab at the welterweight division when he ventures into enemy territory to take on Michael Page at Bellator 179 in three months.

And, as it stands, Anderson might end up staying up there for good.

At 27, Anderson not only believes his game has evolved enough for him to hang with the bigger guys, but, after badly missing weight for his most recent 155-pound outing, he is actually excited about being the shorter one coming in for a change.

“They gave me the Michael Page fight and, after the last time trying to move up to 170 and come back down, it was just a little bit tough,” Anderson said during a press conference in London today. “And, going back up right now, I might not make it back down. I probably can, but I don’t want to hurt my body anymore.

“And I’m confident in my skills enough to mess around with the welterweight division a little more now. Wrestling kept me out of the division before, but my game has become nice and well rounded, and I definitely can strike with welterweights anyway.”

Bellator 179 takes place May 19 at SSE Arena in London. The main card will air on Spike, though complete broadcast plans haven’t been announced. (Past Bellator events in Europe have aired on a tape-delay basis on Spike.)

The matchup came to be under interesting circumstances. Page had been relentlessly angling for a fight with fellow Englishman Daley who, unfortunately for “MVP,” got his own wish granted with a headliner against former UFC title challenger and Bellator newcomer Rory MacDonald.

But, even after the main event’s announcement, a lot of the talk was around the hypothetical fight between the two Brits – especially when Page, who by then still didn’t have an opponent for Bellator 179, and Daley attended a media event minus MacDonald.

Anderson (14-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) was announced as Page’s (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) opponent just a few days prior to the trip to London for this press conference – which was attended by Daley and MacDonald but, due to a case of the flu, not by “MVP.”

Anderson was “a little bit disappointed” that they wouldn’t get to face off. But, in the absence of his habitually talkative opponent, it was up to him to add a little bit of spice to the matchup. Asked about the holes in his Page’s game, for instance, Anderson seemed rather amused.

“He drops his hands all the time. What do you mean holes?” Anderson said. “I definitely am kind of a pressure fighter, just instinctively, I like to go forward. And being the taller guy, usually, at lightweight, I can’t really do that, so it’s going to be nice being the shorter guy and put the pressure on him. And it will be a good fight.”

Coming off a decision loss to Derek Campos, which followed consecutive wins over Patricky Freire and Saad Awad, Anderson now aims to become the first stain on Page’s unblemished 12-0 professional MMA record.

It’s a big task, but one that he doesn’t seem particularly fazed by.

“I’m going to give him his first test, Anderson said. “He’s not going to pass.”

For more on Bellator 179, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.