2. Brent Primus Gets Second Shot at Grand Prize
It has been quite the 14 month journey for former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus. The veteran of the Pacific Northwest had the privilege of headlining the seminal Bellator 300 event last October in the semifinals of the Grand Prix against undefeated lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. It would then come out that Nurmagomedov had tested positive for a banned substance and the loss was overturned to a No Contest. However, the acquisition of Bellator by the PFL shortly thereafter meant that any potential plans to reintegrate Primus into the Grand Prix (and the Grand Prix as a tournament in general) were dissolved.
One can imagine the discouragement at the turn of events, but Primus went headfirst into his return as he was assigned to the regular season and bested Bruno Miranda and Solomon Renfro to make the playoffs. He faced a stern test in the well-prepared 2023 finalist Clay Collard but overcame the challenge to put himself in position to once again compete for a million dollar grand prize.
But while he is the one with the bigger name, he faces a final great challenge in Gadzhi Rabadanov who is another Bellator veteran that has benefitted from the opportunity of fighting often in the PFL season. There is also another connection between the two men. Primus has fought two of Rabadanov’s teammates from the school of the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov that is now led by UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Aside from the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, Primus also fought Islam Mamedov in 2021.
Aside from the fact that the two newcomers already showed their mettle against the PFL talent, the familiar knowledge of what the other can bring gives every indication that the lightweight final may end up being one of the most closely contended matches on the card.
