Mansour Barnaoui (20-4) makes his second walk to the Bellator MMA cage at Bellator 296 this Friday — and a lot will be on the line against ex-champ Brent Primus.
Barnaoui vs. Primus is one of four quarterfinal match-ups in Bellator’s recently launched lightweight grand prix. The tournament once against features a million dollars on the line for the winner, with the 155lb title, currently held by champion Usman Nurmagomedov, defended throughout.
With the tournament bracket set and Nurmagomedov having defeated Benson Henderson to advance to the semifinals, the winner between Baranaoi and Primus will not just move on, but fight for gold next. For Barnaoui, the fight is also an upgrade of sorts: he now faces a former champion, after original opponent Sidney Outlaw was yanked due to a failed drug test.
“It’s a new fight,” Barnaoui told Cageside Press during Wednesday’s media day, speaking via translator. The French lightweight added that he was “going to be careful,” and was “going to look after everything.” but at the same time, the French lightweight admitted, he’s “really excited by the fact that it’s an ex-champion.”
Entering just his second fight in the company with a high-profile opponent, Barnaoui is “looking to win more and more and more,” he stated. “Facing the [champion] for the third match is something nice and appreciated.”
Of course, Mansour Barnaoui has to get through Primus before that third fight under the Bellator banner can arrive. And given the tournament format, he needs to stay healthy and avoid injuries that could potentially remove him from the grand prix. Despaite that, not much has changed in training camp for Barnaoui, who previously won the ROAD FC lightweight tournament.
“Regarding the preparation, it doesn’t change much. Obviously you have to adapt quickly to the different styles of fighting of the opponent; it’s a tournament, so there are lots of opponents and different fighting techniques,” said Barnaoui. “So you have to adapt obviously.”
Beyond that, “You obviously try not to get injured, because that would be a problem.” Other than that, the preparation stays the same, and it’s important to keep focused, Barnaoui explained.
Watch the full Bellator 296 media day appearance by Mansour Barnaoui above.
