Quick Facts
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Biography
Brent Primus (born April 12, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Lightweight World Champion.
Background
Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Primus attended Sheldon High School, where he played soccer and helped the team tie South Eugene High School for the co-state title. He later began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, earning his black belt in only six years.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Primus compiled an amateur record of 5-1 before making his professional debut in September 2010, defeating Chris Ensley via first-round submission. In his second pro bout, Primus defeated Roy Bradshaw via submission in the first round on May 12, 2012.
Bellator MMA
Primus signed with Bellator in 2013. He made his debut for the organization on September 27, 2013 at Bellator 101 against Scott Thometz. Primus won via rear-naked choke submission at 3:48 in the first round, improving his record to 3–0.
Primus had his second bout with the organization on November 22, 2013 at Bellator 109. He defeated Brett Glass by rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
In his next bout, Primus faced Chris Jones at Bellator 111 on March 7, 2014. Primus won via TKO in the first round, which marked the first time Primus had finished an opponent that was not by rear-naked choke.
After nearly a year-and-a-half away from the sport, Primus returned to face Derek Anderson at Bellator 141 on August 28, 2015.He won the fight by split decision.
Primus next faced Gleristone Santos at Bellator 153 on April 22, 2016. He won the fight by split decision.
Bellator Lightweight World Champion
With an undefeated streak of five wins in Bellator, Primus faced Bellator Lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017. At 2:22 in the first round, the bout was temporarily halted by the referee to check on Chandler, whose left ankle was visibly injured. The bout was stopped in favor of Primus via TKO, awarding him the Bellator Lightweight World Championship and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Bellator history.
Primus was expected to make his first title defense against Chandler in a rematch at Bellator 197 on April 13, 2018. However, he pulled out of the fight due to a knee injury. As a result, Brandon Girtz stepped in as a replacement.
The rematch between Primus and Chandler finally took place in the main event of Bellator 212 on December 14, 2018. Primus was out-wrestled for the better part of the fight, and despite landing similar leg kicks to those that stopped Chandler in their first fight and dropping Chandler with a punch in the second round, Primus was defeated by Chandler via unanimous decision.
Post-title era
As the first fight after losing his title, Primus faced Tim Wilde at Bellator: Birmingham on May 4, 2019. He won the fight via gogoplata in the first round.
Primus was expected to face Peter Queally at Bellator Dublin on February 22, 2020. However, Queally was forced to withdraw from the bout due to knee injury and was subsequently replaced by Chris Bungard. Primus won the bout via neck-crank submission in the 1st round.
Championships and awards
- Bellator MMA
- Bellator Lightweight World Championship (One time)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2019 May Submission of the Month
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 11 matches | 10 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 10–1 | Chris Bungard | Submission (Neck crank) | Bellator 240 | Feb 22, 2020 | 1 | 1:55 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 9–1 | Tim Wilde | Submission (gogoplata) | Bellator: Birmingham | May 4, 2019 | 1 | 1:20 | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | |
| Loss | 8–1 | Michael Chandler | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 212 | December 14, 2018 | 5 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Lost the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Michael Chandler | TKO (leg injury) | Bellator NYC | June 24, 2017 | 1 | 2:22 | New York City, New York, United States | Won the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Gleristone Santos | Decision (split) | Bellator 153 | April 22, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Derek Anderson | Decision (split) | Bellator 141 | August 28, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Chris Jones | TKO (punches) | Bellator 111 | March 7, 2014 | 1 | 1:45 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Brett Glass | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 109 | November 22, 2013 | 1 | 3:20 | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Scott Thometz | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 101 | September 27, 2013 | 1 | 3:48 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Roy Bradshaw | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Midtown Productions: Midtown Throwdown 4 | May 12, 2012 | 1 | 1:42 | Eugene, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Ensley | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BKP: Springfield Throwdown 1 | September 24, 2010 | 1 | 1:05 | Springfield, Oregon, United States |