Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima respects interim champion Logan Storley but feels CEO Scott Coker’s criticism of him was warranted.
Storley most recently defeated Lima’s two-time foe, Michael “Venom” Page, in the main event of Bellator 281 earlier this year. Despite walking away with a decision win, Storley’s wrestling and often-cautious approach to striking was heavily criticized by Coker, with the Bellator headman saying “that’s not MMA”.
Lima is set to face Jason Jackson in a title eliminator fight to headline Bellator 283 on July 22 in Tacoma, WA. A win could earn him a matchup with Storley as the current champion, Yaroslav Amosov, continues to defend Ukraine on the frontlines.
Douglas Lima Agrees With Criticism Of Logan Storley
During an exclusive interview with MMA News, Lima gave his thoughts on Storley and his recent performances in the cage.
“At the end of the day, what matters is the win,” Lima said. “But of course, his style is always gonna get criticism. He’s really good at what he does, and you can’t take that away from him. He lost one time to the current champion, Amosov, and it was a split decision that could’ve gone either way. The respect he’s gotta have it. He’s been in there and been winning his fights, but it’s just not exciting. He just held Page the whole time. Could’ve gone either way too because Page landed more strikes.
“People aren’t really fond of that but he’s doing his thing. You can’t hate on that. Gotta give the guy the respect, but it’s just not exciting. People aren’t gonna be really excited about those types of fights.”
Storley is expected to face Amosov for the unified welterweight title at a later date, but a matchup with the Lima/Jackson winner could also be in the works. Lima lost his title to Amosov at Bellator 260 before suffering a split-decision loss to Page last October.
Lima will look to earn another shot at a Bellator title and reclaim the welterweight throne. While he understands Storley’s approach to fighting, he doesn’t feel it’s sustainable for him to be considered a top star in the promotion.