5 Defining Moments: Brent Primus

A staple of the Bellator MMA promotion for the better part of a decade, Brent Primus assured himself of at least one more run in the spotlight.

The 38-year-old Oregon native will toe the line against Mansour Barnaoui when their lightweight grand prix quarterfinal serves as the co-main event for Bellator 296 on Friday at Accor Arena in Paris. Primus has lost twice in his past three appearances. He last fought on June 24, when he succumbed to punches from Alexandr Shabliy in the second round of their Bellator 282 confrontation.

As Primus approaches his high-stakes showdown with Barnaoui at 155 pounds, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Eye-Opening Entrance

Primus made his promotional debut as part of the Bellator 101 undercard and did not disappoint, as he took care of Scott Thometz with a first-round rear-naked choke on Sept. 27, 2013 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. The end came 3:48 into Round 1. Thometz, who wrestled collegiately at Boise State University, pressed for takedowns without regard for his opponent’s counterattacks. Primus threatened with a kimura and an armbar and eventually scrambled to the back. He secured himself with his legs, flattened Thometz into a hopeless belly-down position, patiently worked the blade of his forearm under the chin and laced his arms in a figure four to produce the tapout. Primus was just three pro bouts into his career at the time but forced Bellator to take notice.

2. An Unexpected Turn

Though the undefeated Primus laid claim to the Bellator MMA lightweight championship in a stunning upset of Michael Chandler, he did so with an asterisk attached. Chandler suffered an ankle injury while dodging a low kick that left him unable to continue in first round of their Bellator 280 co-feature on June 24, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York. He did all he could to move forward, but it became clear he was compromised, necessitating an anticlimactic stoppage 2:22 into Round 1. The technical knockout resulted in an unexpected change at the top of the 155-pound weight class and brought Primus a whole new level of fame.

3. Order Restored

Chandler became the first-ever three-time Bellator MMA champion when he reclaimed the lightweight crown with a lopsided unanimous decision over the Sports Lab product in the Bellator 212 headliner on Dec. 14, 2018 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. All three judges scored it 50-45. Primus never seemed comfortable outside of a second-round exchange in which he advanced to the back and threatened to cinch a rear-naked choke. Chandler executed takedowns in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds, maintained advantageous positions for minutes at a time and applied his ground-and-pound whenever possible. By the time it was over, there was little doubt regarding the outcome.

4. Toe Meet Table

Primus stubbed his proverbial toe and wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against Professional Fighters League veteran Islam Mamedov in a three-round Bellator 263 showcase on July 31, 2021 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Bryan Miner and Marcel Varela for Mamedov, Sal D’Amato for Primus. For the American, it was a notable step in the wrong direction at 155 pounds. Mamedov executed takedowns in all three rounds, racked up control time and managed to successfully navigate his opponent’s active guard. Primus attempted a number of submissions from his back, including an omoplata, a kimura and an armbar. All of it went for naught.

5. A Meaningful Notch

Superiority in the scrambles and airtight submission defense spurred Primus to a unanimous decision over former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Benson Henderson in their Bellator 268 lightweight attraction on Oct. 16, 2021 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. Scores were 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Primus denied repeated takedowns and outmaneuvered the MMA Lab cornerstone in a majority of their grappling exchanges. He tied a bow on another high-profile victory with a strong third round, where he spent more than two minutes on Henderson’s back. Primus did not do much in terms of meaningful damage, but he managed to bottle up an all-time great and coasted to the finish line.