Tag: Brent Primus

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.

Usman Nurmagomedov plans to make Brent Primus look ‘slow and old’ at Bellator 300

Khabib’s cousin Usman Nurmagomedov has knocked down language barriers in recent years and his confidence shined through Wednesday.

SAN DIEGO – [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] only cares about winning decisively Saturday at Bellator 300 and that means making [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] look bad.

At a pre-fight news conference Wednesday at the host hotel, the Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) seemed unbothered and unfazed about many of the theoretical scenarios or opinion questions thrown his way. In what was the equivalent of a verbal shrug, Nurmagomedov used few words to get his point across.

“When he said all the time he will beat me, he will beat me, I don’t understand,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He really believe in this? OK, but if you believe this, this is good. We’re going to show you guys a good fight. … Saturday night, I respect this guy. He’s a former champion. But Saturday night, I’m going to make him feel he’s like slow and old. This is all what I have to say, guys. Sorry.”

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Viewers who have followed Bellator and Nurmagomedov closely since his debut in 2020 have noticed his personality has slowly but surely broken through language and cultural barriers. Perhaps it was on display more than ever Wednesday, as Nurmagomedov wasn’t afraid to channel his confidence and throw it directly at Primus (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), his Bellator lightweight grand prix semifinal opponent.

“For me, it’s more important to win every fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s not like ‘grand prix or defend my title.’ For me, it’s to not lose. But I not believe this guy can beat me. He said he’s going to be pushed, but why he didn’t push himself when he was fighting with (Alexander) Shabliy? What happened?”

Nurmagomedov, 25, defeated Patricky Freire for Bellator gold in November before he quickly finished and retired former UFC champion Benson Henderson in the opening round of the tournament in March.

Primus, 38, was a grand prix alternate who replaced Sidney Outlaw after a failed drug test. Primus upset Mansour Barnaoui in May to advance to the semifinal round.

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

Bellator 300 video: Unbeaten champion Usman Nurmagomedov squares off with ex-champ Brent Primus

The Bellator 300 title fighters got together Wednesday in San Diego. Check out the Usman Nurmagomedov-Brent Primus faceoff at Bellator 300.

SAN DIEGO – The Bellator 300 title fighters got together Wednesday in San Diego.

Undefeated lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on former champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) to close out the event. It’s one of three title fights on the main card of the historic show.

Wednesday, Nurmagomedov and Primus took questions from the media at a pre-fight news conference at the host hotel. They were joined by Bellator president Scott Coker, the other four title fighters and former fighter Chael Sonnen, who served as the event’s emcee.

Check out the Nurmagomedov-Primus faceoff in the video above. Bellator 300 takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

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

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Video: Watch Bellator 300 pre-fight press conference on MMA Junkie

Bellator 300 takes place Friday in San Diego. Watch a live stream of the pre-event news conference with three title fights at 4 p.m. ET.

SAN DIEGO – Bellator 300 takes place Friday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, and you can watch a live video stream of the pre-event news conference here on MMA Junkie at 4 p.m. ET.

The press conference takes place at the Bellator host hotel in San Diego. The media event will be hosted by Chael Sonnen, as well as Bellator President Scott Coker.

Women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) takes on longtime teammate, friend and former titleholder [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA). Women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). And lightweight champ [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) puts his belt on the line against ex-champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) to close out the three title fights on the main card.

Check out the press conference and subsequent faceeoffs in the video above.

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

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Bellator 300 pre-event facts: Strong stats behind title-fight triple header

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 300, which takes place Saturday and features three championship bouts.

Perhaps the final monumental event in Bellator history takes place Saturday with Bellator 300, which goes down at Pechanga Arena in San Diego with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Three championship fights will top the bill, with the lightweight, women’s featherweight and women’s flyweight belts all on the line in what the promotion is dubbing as a “triple main event.”

For more on the numbers behind each bout, as well as other notable bouts on the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 300.

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Video: Which champions retain (if any) at Bellator 300?

The tricentennial Bellator event takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and features three title fights.

Bellator 300 is just days away – a milestone event for the promotion that will transpire in its most uncertain of times.

While it’s unclear how long Bellator will be around for, it’s tricentennial event features three title fights after a fourth, Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell was canceled Tuesday. The remaining title fights include [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag], and [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag].

The event takes place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego with a main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Which champions will retain (if any)? Which will lose (if any)?

MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, and Danny Segura joined host George Garcia to break it all down.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full “Spinning Back Clique” episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 7-13)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 7-13.

Bellator 300: Historic event set for Oct. 7 in San Diego with 4 title fights

Bellator 300 finally has a date and location, as well as a historic main card with four title fights.

Bellator 300 finally has a date and location, as well as a historic main card.

The event is set for Oct. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and will feature four title fights. The promotion is saying Bellator 300 will have four main events, but atop the card will be heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] against challenger [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag].

In addition, women’s featherweight champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] takes on challenger [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag], lightweight titleholder [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] meets former champ [autotag]Brent Primus[/autotag], and in a long-discussed matchup, women’s flyweight champ [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag] will put her title on the line against her good friend, training partner and former champ, [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag].

Bellator officials announced the card Wednesday. The event date, location and lightweight title fight first were reported by BJPenn.com. The additional three title fights were announced on “The MMA Hour” ahead of a Bellator news release. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“When I first joined Bellator, we set out to sign and develop the best available talent in the world and produce events for massive audiences,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a press release. “Our first tentpole event was Bellator 131 in San Diego, and we couldn’t be more excited to return to that very same arena for this monumental Bellator 300 event.

“We wanted to give the fans and supporters an epic night of fights and there is no better way to do that than showcasing these four incredible champions all putting their belts on the line. I’m proud of the all the work we have done to grow this brand and its athletes since I came on board. I can’t wait for Bellator 300, which is going to be the biggest event in the history of Bellator MMA.”

Former two-division champ Bader (31-7 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) lost the light heavyweight title in 2020, but has held onto the heavyweight belt. After he was knocked out by Corey Anderson in the 205-pound tournament in 2021, he has three straight heavyweight title wins over Valentin Moldavsky, Cheick Kongo and Fedor Emelianenko.

The fight against Vassell will be a rematch of a Bader win at Bellator 186 in November 2017, which Bader won with a second-round TKO to defend his light heavyweight title. Now Vassell will try again, but a weight class up.

Vassell, who is all of four days older than Bader, lost his first fight at heavyweight in 2019, but has been on a tear since then with five straight wins and four stoppages in the division. In March, he knocked out Moldavsky in the first round.

Cyborg (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) re-signed with Bellator earlier this year after she tested the free agency market. Ultimately, she decided to stay put, but stayed at least a busy boxing. But now she’ll have a grudge match with Zingano. Cyborg is considered one of the best women’s fighters in history and has held titles for Bellator, the UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta.

Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) has been waiting for a shot at Cyborg since she signed with Bellator after a lengthy run in the UFC. She’s been perfect out of the gate and now will get her first shot at a title since she challenged Ronda Rousey at UFC 184 in 2015. Her resume already includes wins over Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate, and a win over Cyborg would be a legacy-defining moment.

Nurmagomedov, a cousin over former UFC lightweight champion Khabib, won the title in November 2022 against then-champ Patricky Freire. In March, he submitted former UFC and WEC champ Benson Henderson for his first successful title defense in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Primus (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) was on the outside looking in when the tournament started, but stepped in as a late replacement alternate. Then he silenced the crowd in Paris with a unanimous decision over local French fan favorite Mansour Barnaoui at Bellator 296. He beat Michael Chandler for the title in 2017, and an upset of Nurmagomedov would give him the belt back and put him in a $1 million title defense in the final.

And finally, Carmouche (19-7 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Macfarlane (13-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) get their dream matchup. Macfarlane has said she wants to win back the flyweight belt she used to hold, then retire. To do it, it’ll have to come against her good friend and longtime training partner.

Carmouche defended the title against DeAnna Bennett in the Bellator 294 main event in April in Honolulu. The next night, Macfarlane took a split decision from Kana Watanabe in front of her home fans to set up the fight between the two. Carmouche has been unstoppable since she signed with Bellator. Macfarlane has bounced back from the first two losses of her career with wins over Bruna Ellen and Watanabe.

There have been reports that Bellator may be on the cusp of being acquired from Paramount, and the strongest rumored bidder has been the PFL. Further speculation has been that Bellator 300 could be the promotion’s final event before a merger.

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