Bellator 282: Lucas Brennan Has No Use for Trash Talk

Featherweight prospect Lucas Brennan improved his record to a perfect 7-0 on Friday at Bellator 282, and is starting to get the respect he deserves.

The 22-year old has spent his entire pro career in Bellator, with six submission victories in seven fights. Only once has he gone the distance. Friday’s win came via rear-naked choke over Johnny Soto, who apparently had something of a Jekyll and Hyde personality during fight week.

“I was assuming just based off the weigh-in, he [Soto] just seemed very aggressive. It was very weird, like I interacted with him all week, we’re in a small hotel. And all week we’re working out in the hotel gym next to each other, and he’s just kind of like ‘oh hey’ thumbs up or whatever, very nice, very whatever, we’re b.s.’ing about the temperature in the gym,” Brennan recalled during his post-fight media appearance. “Like we’re talking all week, and then we’re doing the weigh-ins and he’s like ‘ahhh [throat slash gesture], whatever, and I was like ‘bro you were just saying ‘Hi,’ we were cool. And I saw him five minutes later walking around the Mohegan [Sun Casino], he’s looking at me like ‘hey man how you doing?'”

“I figured you turn the cameras on, maybe he was just going to come right at me,” continued Brennan. “But no one we’ve fought has fought to their typical style. So I think it just went how it went, and I’m not complaining.”

Perhaps the weigh-in antics are a sign of things to come. It seems likely that at least some opponents will attempt to get under Brennan’s skin, utilizing trash talk and similar approaches. Brennan, however, has seen it all before, dating back to his time as an amateur while still in high school.

And frankly, he doesn’t see much point in it.

“I had a guy a half hour before I started warming up and stuff, @ me on Instagram in stories, saying that I sucked. And I’m going to go find it right now, because I’m petty,” said Brennan. “And then, even as an amateur, I was a minor, I was in high school, and a guy’s like @’ing me on Twitter, talking— no matter what I say or what he says, we both have to get in there and do it, so what good is all the trash talk really doing? It’s not like we’re making millions, if I start talking trash, we’re not going to make an extra fifty bucks. I’m not out here selling Pay-Per-Views. So what good is trash talk, really?”

Watch the full Bellator 282 post-fight press scrum with Lucas Brennan above. More coverage from the event can be found below.