Frustrated by matchmaking and inactivity, Brent Primus says higher-ranked fight must come after Bellator 263
LOS ANGELES – Brent Primus feels blessed to finally be closing in on his Bellator return, but he’s not happy it took this long.
A former Bellator lightweight champion, Primus (10-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) has not competed since February 2020. Although Primus was lined up to fight on multiple occasions, COVID and other cancellations occurred and pushed off his return to Saturday at Bellator 263.
“I fought in Ireland in February (2020),” Primus told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference. “I asked to fight as soon as possible. They said the soonest they could give me is July. So I trained my butt off, lost 30 pounds. It got canceled from COVID like 10 days out. Then, I got told I was going to fight in December. That fight didn’t happen. Thankfully, here we are at fight week and we’re going to fight in a few days.”
In addition to missing out on fight night paychecks, Primus was automatically removed from the Bellator rankings due to inactivity. At the time, he voiced his frustrations with the situation on social media and re-declared his desire to fight a top-five fighter – or a champion.
However, Primus ultimately agreed to fight former PFL standout Islam Mamedov (19-1-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who has not lost a fight since 2009. Primus recognizes Mamedov’s skill level but still is uncomfortable with how negotiations went down with the promotion.
“Hell no, I was not OK with this,” Primus said. “I was told if I signed a new contract with Bellator, that I’d be fighting a top 10 (opponent). And here we are not fighting a top 10. I know Islam is a tough dude and he probably should be in the top 10, but I feel like he should’ve fought somebody in Bellator before me. Man, it’s just frustrating I have to Google these guys that I’m fighting. I should be fighting somebody that I know that’s in Bellator in the top 10. At the same time, I’m just blessed that I have a fight and I’m here and I fight in a few days.”
Regardless of the opponent, Primus has a fight on the books for Saturday. If he wins, Primus wants that title challenge or title eliminator opportunity and he plans on making waves by calling out champion Patricio Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) on the mic post-fight.
“It better, man,” Primus said when asked if a win over Mamedov will set him up with a top-ranked opponent next. “He’s (on a) 19-fight winning streak right now. He’s training with Khabib and he’s a tough dude, man, for sure. Patricio (Freire) is who I have my eyes on, for sure.”
Bellator 263 takes place Saturday at The Forum. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
