Tag: Brent Primus

2024 PFL 5 video: Brent Primus pulls off gusty last-minute submission of Solomon Renfro

Bellator OG Brent Primus showed during Thursday’s PFL event he’s still got it.

Former Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], after all these years, still has what it takes to end fights inside the distance.

Thursday at 2024 PFL 5 in Salt Lake City, Primus (14-3) clinched a playoff spot when he submitted [autotag]Solomon Renfro[/autotag] (11-6) at 3:21 of Round 3. The finish concluded a back-and-forth contest during which both men had their moments.

Primus was stunned early in the fight. While he looked uncomfortable in the opening minutes, he found his stride as the fight went on. After a knockdown in Round 3, Primus was eventually able to work his way to a rear-naked choke, which he locked in with less than two minutes left.

Primus, 39, moves to 3-0 with one no contest in his most recent four outings. He also won his PFL debut by rear-naked choke in his previous outing when he submitted Bruno Miranda.

Renfro, 27, continues his string of close fights with unsuccessful results. He’s 1-3 in the PFL, with losses to Magomed Magomedkerimov, Gadzhi Rabadanov, and now Primus.

The up-to-the-minute 2024 PFL 5 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 5.

Bellator 300 gains: What all 32 fighters weighed on fight night

Find out how much weight all 32 fighters at Bellator 300 gained from the Friday morning official weigh-ins to Saturday night fights.

In California, fighters have their weights checked on the day of competition – not just when they have to hit their marks on the scale.

In 2017, the California State Athletic Commission put a plan in place to try to cut back on excessive weight cutting. Within those rules was a cap on how much a fighter could gain from the official weigh-ins to the fight.

If a fighter gained more than 10 percent back before the bout, the commission then could make a recommendation that he or she move to a higher weight class. If a fighter gained more than 15 percent, the commission had plans in place to potentially cancel fights.

At Bellator 300, which took place this past Saturday in San Diego, 14 of the 32 fighters on the card gained more than 10 percent of their weight back. Three of those 14 exceeded the 15 percent threshold. MMA Junkie obtained a list of fight-night weights Monday from the CSAC.

Check out the weight gains and percentages for all 32 fighters on the card at Pechanga Arena.

Bellator 300 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg upgrades already legendary resume

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 300, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov, Cris Cyborg and Liz Carmouche exit as champs.

The landmark Bellator 300 event took place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, and all three champions who entered the event left with the belts around their waists.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) retained his lightweight belt in the main event and advanced to the grand prix final, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag]’s (27-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) continued her dominant legacy to retain women’s featherweight gold in the co-headliner, and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag]’s (20-7 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) scored a stoppage in the main card opener.

For more on the numbers to come out of the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 salaries: Five of six main-card fighters earn same six-figure payout

Cris Cyborg led the list of Bellator 300 fighters who earned six figures.

SAN DIEGO – Five of the six Bellator 300 main-card participants earned a disclosed payout of $150,000, with [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] earning twice that amount.

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter purses Saturday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments or discretionary bonuses.

Lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag], [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag], flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag], and [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] each took home $150,000, while women’s featherweight champ Cyborg earned $300,000. All six fighters earned a flat amount as opposed to being paid show money and win money.

Scroll below to see what the 32 fighters to compete at Bellator 300 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Bellator 300 results: Usman Nurmagomedov controls Brent Primus, cruises to unanimous decision win to retain title

It wasn’t the most pleasing to the eye, but it was still a dominant performance from Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 300.

SAN DIEGO – It wasn’t the most pleasing performance of Bellator lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s career, but it still looked effortless.

And it was still a win.

Nurmagomedov won a five-round unanimous decision against former champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] on Saturday night at Bellator 300 from Pechanga Arena. The victory means Nurmagomedov remains undefeated and advances to the final of the $1 million lightweight grand prix.

Nurmagomedov will meet the winner of next month’s Bellator 301 fight between Patricky Freire and Alexander Shabliy.

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) was simply better than Primus (12-4 MMA, 10-4 BMMA) all around for 25 minutes, both in the standup and on the mat. Primus did his best to mount attacks throughout the fight, but Nurmagomedov was too quick and evaded damage. All the while, Nurmagomedov was stiff with his punches, which showed on Primus’ bloodied face by the end.

The crowd inside the arena booed at various points because of the lack of excitement – not that it should matter to Nurmagomedov, who keeps his title and now has a shot at winning $1 million.

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Complete Bellator 300 results:

  • Usman Nurmagomedov def. Brent Primus via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – to defend lightweight title & advance to grand prix final
  • Cris Cyborg def. Cat Zingano via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:01 – to defend women’s featherweight title
  • Liz Carmouche def. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane via TKO (leg kick) – Round 5, 0:17 – to defend flyweight title
  • Bobby Seronio III def. Alberto Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Leah McCourt def. Sara McMann via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Sergio Cossio def. Jesse Roberts via submission (triangle choke) –Round 3, 4:05
  • Kai Kamaka def. Henry Corrales via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Slim Trabelsi def. Davion Franklin via technical submission – Round 1, 3:09
  • Doveltdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Maciej Rozanski via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov def. Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Grant Neal def. Romero Cotton via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Jena Bishop vs. Ilara Joanne submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:45
  • Josh Hokit def. Spencer Smith via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:12

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 video: Cyborg-Zingano, Nurmagomedov-Primus hit marks for title fights

Bellator 300 is down to two title fights in San Diego.

 

SAN DIEGO – Bellator 300 is down to two title fights.

Ahead of Bellator 300, which takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins. So, too, did lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and challenger and ex-champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA).

They hit their marks, but former women’s bantamweight champ Ilima-Lei Macfarlane missed weight, making her bout against friend and former teammate Liz Carmouche a non-title fight.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Massive underdog Brent Primus aims to ‘shock everybody’ vs. undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov

Brent Primus is out to prove the oddsmakers wrong at Bellator 300.

SAN DIEGO – [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] is out to prove the oddsmakers wrong at Bellator 300.

Primus (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) meets lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) in the grand prix semifinals Saturday at Pechanga Arena. The main card, which features three title fights, airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Undefeated Nurmagomedov has lived up to the hype since joining the Bellator roster, and has been pegged as a massive favorite to beat Primus. A former Bellator lightweight titleholder, Primus is confident he can not only spoil the party, but finish Nurmagomedov.

“I know he’s a tough opponent,” Primus told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I prepared really well for this fight and I’m ready for anything. I’m going to shock everybody and he’s going to be 17-1 after Saturday.”

According to BetMGM, Primus is a whopping +1050 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would net a $1050 profit. Nurmagomedov is a -2500 favorite, meaning a $2500 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit.

Considering that Primus is a former champion, the lopsided odds could be viewed as offensive. But, the 38-year-old veteran is embracing that role.

“I like being the underdog,” Primus said. “I feel like I do better when I’m the underdog. I don’t like it when people are like, ‘Oh, you’re going to win, you’re going to go out there and kill it.’ I like being the underdog, I’ve been the underdog a lot, and I’ve proven a lot of people wrong. So, let’s go. I’m going to shock everybody like I said and this is exactly where I want to be.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 referees, judges assigned for three title fights

Veteran Jason Herzog is among the referees assigned to oversee three title fights at Bellator 300 in San Diego.

Referees and judges for the three Bellator 300 title fights have been assigned.

California State Athletic Commission executive officer Andy Foster informed MMA Junkie of the assignments for the event, which takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The three title-fight main card airs on Showtime after prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) in the designated headliner. The fight, which also serves as a grand prix semifinal, will be officiated by referee Jason Herzog, with Derek Cleary, Ron McCarthy and Chris Leben serving as judges.

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In the night’s co-headliner, women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defends her belt against [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Referee Frank Trigg will be the third person in the cage while judges Chris Crail, Eliot Kelly and Cleary score the fight from cageside.

The third featured title fight pits friends and former teammates against each other as flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts her title on the line against ex-champ [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA). Blake Grice will serve as referee while judges Bryan Miner, Felicia Oh and McCarthy score the bout.

Bellator 300 is the first event in the promotion’s history to feature three title fights. The event originally had four, but a rematch between heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and Linton Vassell was scrapped after Vassell withdrew earlier this week because of an undisclosed illness.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 breakdown: Can Brent Primus defeat Usman Nurmagomedov for another huge title upset?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the main event for Bellator 300, Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus for the lightweight title.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down MMA’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The main card, which features three title fights, airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.