After about two years of verbal jabs and trading smack talk, the rivalry between two of Bellator’s best British stars will come to a head at Bellator 216, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. In the main event, the undefeated Michael “Venom” Page and Paul Daley finally collide, as they meet in a long-awaited bout that also serves as a quarterfinal in Bellator’s Welterweight Grand Prix. Page and Daley’s feud goes back to early 2017, when the latter compared himself to Floyd Mayweather and Page to Adrien Broner — an analogy that didn’t sit well with “MVP.” While a bout between the two was called for and expected among the MMA community, it looked like it wouldn’t happen. This became evident when Daley and Bellator brass got into a feud, and signs had pointed to Daley leaving the promotion following his Bellator 199 loss to Jon Fitch. But Daley ended up re-signing with Bellator, with one of the reasons being a guaranteed bout with Page as part of the new four-fight contract. The winner of tonight’s main event will fight former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima in the semifinals. The other semifinal will see Neiman Gracie challenge for the championship against the winner of the final Grand Prix quarterfinal — an April 20 title fight between Fitch and current champion Rory MacDonald. The co-main event of Bellator 216 sees the promotional debut of the legendary Mirko Cro Cop, as he faces “Big Country” Roy Nelson. Like Minakov and Kongo, this will be a heavyweight rematch, as the two first met back at UFC 137 back in October 2011, with Nelson scoring a third-round TKO. This bout was originally set to take place last May at Bellator 200, but Cro Cop was forced out due to an injury. After a successful Bellator debut back in September 2017, Nelson is on a two-fight losing skid, losing a majority decision to Matt Mitrione in a Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal last February before being knocked out Sergei Kharitonov last October at Bellator 207. Despite two brief leaves from MMA, Cro Cop is on a nine-fight win streak and has won 10 of the 11 bouts he’s had since first facing Nelson. His accomplishments in this time include two IGF title bouts with Satoshi Ishii, avenging his UFC 70 loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, and winning the 2016 RIZIN Openweight Grand Prix. Bellator 216 also features the return of former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov – the final man to hold the title before Ryan Bader claimed it in the finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix three weeks ago. Minakov faces Cheick Kongo in a fight that will determine the No. 1 contender to Bader’s title. Minakov won the championship back at Bellator 108 in November 2013 and faced Kongo in his sole title defense five months later, retaining via unanimous decision. Minakov then went to Fight Night Global and after two years of inactivity in Bellator MMA, he was stripped of the heavyweight title. Kongo, meanwhile, has won nine of the 10 bouts he’s had since facing Minakov and is riding a seven-fight win streak. This streak started with a unanimous decision win over current UFC fighter Alexander Volkov, and Kongo is coming off back-to-back knockouts of Javy Ayala and Timothy Johnson.<doc-sep>Fittingly, the first mixed martial arts event Sky Sports will show is headlined by the most anticipated all-British fight in the history of the sport, from here at the enormous Mohegan Sun, in Connecticut, the second largest casino resort in the United States. The meeting of Paul Daley and Michael Page, both 170lb fighters, is a contest that has drawn comparison with the bad blood between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in the early nineties. Long in the making, deep of debate over who will leave the combat arena victorious. The bare truth is that no one really knows. Both men - whose battling sobriquets are respectively 'Semtex' and 'Venom' - have star qualities, fascinating back stories, and fight as if their lives depended on it. Veteran Daley, who served in the Household Cavalry alongside Prince Harry, has promised the thirty-third knockout of his 58-fight career against Page, a pirouetting, destructive freestyle kickboxer who converted to MMA after winning seven world titles in kickboxing. From London, to New York, to Connecticut, our protagonists have left a trail layered with tension. “The magnitude of the event is apparent. I’ve been doing so much media - ESPN, Sports Illustrated - all the newspapers and papers. They’ve all got behind the fight," explained Daley to The Telegraph over breakfast in Manhattan midway through fight week. "It’s great not only for me and Page, but for UK MMA too. For two UK fighters to be getting so much attention in the US and headlining an event is ridiculous.”<doc-sep>Bellator returns for what is expected to be another explosive night in the Octogan. The 216 event is headlined by a Welterweight World Grand Prix quarter-final between British duo Michael 'Venom' Page and Paul Daley. 1 Michael 'Venom' Page is unbeaten in 13 MMA fights, while also having two wins in boxing Credit: Getty Images - Getty When is Bellator 216? The latest MMA event will take place on Sunday, February 17 with the preliminary card starting at 12.30am UK time, while the Main Card kicks off at 3am, That is Saturday, February 16 with the prelims at 7.30pm and Main Card from 10pm for those in the US. It is taking place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Most Read in MMA Pictured MIND GAMES Conor McGregor taunts Poirier with reflective glasses showing his brutal 2014 KO WEIGH TO GO Conor McGregor says he'll make 'championship weight' for Poirier UFC trilogy WAITING GAME Jones hints it will be a YEAR before UFC return as he bulks up to heavyweight Exclusive FIGHT FOR CHANGE UFC stars launch mentorship scheme to stop kids getting into knife crime Exclusive DIAMOND SHINE Poirier took away Conor McGregor's dangerous weapon with 'ingenious' plan Pictured STACKED MAC Conor McGregor shows off physique as he eyes 'redemption' in UFC 264 return TRAGIC BLOW Promising MMA fighter Fau Vake dies aged 25 after Auckland street 'assault' PAYMAC Poirier predicts Conor McGregor will use calf kicks against him in UFC 264 trilogy What TV channel is it on and can I live stream it? Bellator 216 will be shown live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage from 3am. That means only the Main Card will be shown on UK television, while you can catch the full event via the Bellator app. Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the fights online, by mobile and on your tablet via the app. You can also purchase a Sky Sports Day Pass from NowTV for £8.99. What is the fight card? PRELIMINARY CARD Alexandra Ballou vs Sarah Payant (Women's Flyweight) Kastriot Xhema vs Kemran Lachinov (Welterweight) Pat Casey vs Nekruz Mirkhojaev (Lightweight) Rodolfo Neves Rocha vs Jesse Kosakowski (Welterweight) Demetrios Plaza vs Drews Rodriguez (Welterweight) MAIN CARD Michael Page vs Paul Daley (Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final) Cheick Kongo vs Vitaly Minakov (Heavyweight) Mirko Cro cop vs Roy Nelson (Heavyweight) Yaroslav Amosov vs Erick Silva (Welterweight) Valerie Loureda vs Colby Fletcher (Women's Flyweight)<doc-sep>
Bellator 216: MVP vs Daley is set to be a huge event, as it will be the second one of a two-event Bellator MMA weekend. The two British Fighters, Paul Daley and Michael 'Venom' Page are rivals and will be facing each other, is not just another fight, but the first round of a tournament. The Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. The winner will be moving on to the next round, with the winner of the tournament receiving the Welterweight Championship. To know when, where, and how to watch Bellator 216: MVP vs Daley, read on. Bellator 216 location, date and start time Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. Day and Date: Saturday, February 16th, 2019 Start Time: Preliminary Card: 7:30 PM ET (US), 12:30 AM (UK), 6:00 AM IST (17th Feb) Main Card: 10:00 PM ET (US), 3:00 AM (GMT), 8:30 AM (17th Feb) The current card for Bellator 216 includes Main Card Welterweight: Michael Page vs. Paul Daley Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo vs. Vitaly Minakov Heavyweight: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Welterweight: Yaroslav Amosov vs. Erick Silva Women's Flyweight: Valerie Loureda vs. Colby Fletcher Preliminary card Women's Flyweight: Alexandra Ballou vs. Sarah Payant Welterweight: Kastriot Xhema vs. Kemran Lachinov Lightweight: Pat Casey vs. Nekruz Mirkhojaev Welterweight: Rodolfo Neves Rocha vs. Jesse Kosakowski Welterweight: Demetrios Plaza vs. Drews Rodriguez How and Where to watch Bellator 216 in the US & UK The main card of Bellator 216 will air live in the US exclusively on DAZN, a Sports Streaming Site. DAZN is available in the USA, Germany, Canada, The Preliminary Card for Bellator 215 will be available on the Bellator Site or on the Bellator Mobile App. The main card of Bellator 216 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. This event will mark the beginning of the partnership between Bellator and Sky Sports, with Sky Sports holding the exclusive broadcast rights of Bellator MMA in the UK.