Brent Primus traveled a long way to to put in one minute and 20 seconds’ worth of work.
The Eugene, Ore., resident headlined Bellator Europe 2 on Saturday in Birmingham, England, where he took on local favorite Tim Wilde. And if the lightweight champion was looking to send a message that he still belongs at the top of Bellator’s 155-pound division, consider the message sent.
Primus needed just 1:20 to earn the victory via the rare gogoplata at Resorts World Arena.
“Yeah, man, I knew I was way, way better than him on the ground,” Primus said. “My jiu-jitsu is awesome. I tap everyone in the gym with that gogoplata. … I knew once I got him on the ground he was in my world.”
Primus (9-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) was caught off-balance throwing a kick when he was dropped by a right hand. Wilde (12-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) went straight into top position on the downed Primus, but Primus wasted little time securing the gogoplata, forcing the tap in short order.
Primus, who won the lightweight title from Michael Chandler and lost it back in a rematch last December, wants either a trilogy meeting with Chandler next or a bout that can get him in position for said fight.
“I want Chandler,” Primus said after his fifth career submission victory. “If I don’t get him, I want one of the best guys, Patricky [Pitbull], Ben Henderson, but I really want Chandler.”
Official Bellator Birmingham results include:
MAIN CARD (5 p.m. ET, Bellator app)
- Brent Primus def. Tim Wilde via submission (gogoplata) – Round 1, 1:20
- Fabian Edwards def. Falco Neto via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:51
- Pedro Carvalho def. Derek Campos via knockout – Round 1, 2:03
- Raymond Daniels def. Wilker Barros via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:36
PRELIMINARY CARD (12 p.m. ET, Bellator app)
- Saul Rogers def. Aiden Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Brian Moore def. Binh Son Le via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)
- Kane Mousah def. Mateusz Piskorz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Lee Chadwick def. James Mulheron via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Yannick Bahati def. Amir Dadovic via submission (Kimura) – Round 1, 3:00
- Dominique Wooding def. David Khalsa via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:43
- Jim Wallhead def. Giorgio Pietrini via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-26, 30-27)
- Gavin Hughes def. Mohammad Yahya via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:54
- Ashley Reece def. Craig Turner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Daniel Cassell def. John Nicholls TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 3:09
- Akonne Wanliss def. Sam Slater via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:55
- Raphael Uchegbu def. Lee Percival via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:14
- Nicolo Solli def. Simon Ridgway via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:32
- Constantin Gnusariev vs. Kieran Lister declared a split draw (29-28, 27-28, 28-28)
For more on Bellator Europe 2, check out the MMA Events section of the site.
