SAN DIEGO – Usman Nurmagomedov only cares about winning decisively Saturday at Bellator 300 and that means making Brent Primus look bad.
At a pre-fight news conference Wednesday at the host hotel, the Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) seemed unbothered and unfazed about many of the theoretical scenarios or opinion questions thrown his way. In what was the equivalent of a verbal shrug, Nurmagomedov used few words to get his point across.
“When he said all the time he will beat me, he will beat me, I don’t understand,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He really believe in this? OK, but if you believe this, this is good. We’re going to show you guys a good fight. … Saturday night, I respect this guy. He’s a former champion. But Saturday night, I’m going to make him feel he’s like slow and old. This is all what I have to say, guys. Sorry.”
Viewers who have followed Bellator and Nurmagomedov closely since his debut in 2020 have noticed his personality has slowly but surely broken through language and cultural barriers. Perhaps it was on display more than ever Wednesday, as Nurmagomedov wasn’t afraid to channel his confidence and throw it directly at Primus (12-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA), his Bellator lightweight grand prix semifinal opponent.
“For me, it’s more important to win every fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s not like ‘grand prix or defend my title.’ For me, it’s to not lose. But I not believe this guy can beat me. He said he’s going to be pushed, but why he didn’t push himself when he was fighting with (Alexander) Shabliy? What happened?”
Nurmagomedov, 25, defeated Patricky Freire for Bellator gold in November before he quickly finished and retired former UFC champion Benson Henderson in the opening round of the tournament in March.
Primus, 38, was a grand prix alternate who replaced Sidney Outlaw after a failed drug test. Primus upset Mansour Barnaoui in May to advance to the semifinal round.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.
