Primus Taps Wilde with Gogoplata; Daniels Scores Spectacular KO at Bellator ‘Birmingham’

Brent Primus took one step in the right direction toward earning his desired trilogy with Michael Chandler.

The former lightweight champion made short work of Tim Wilde in the Bellator “Birmingham” headliner, submitting his adversary with a gogoplata at the 1:20 mark of the opening stanza at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England, on Saturday.

“I knew I was way better than him on the ground. Once he went to the ground with me he’s in my world,” Primus said.

“I want Michael Chandler. I beat him the first time, he beat me the second. Let’s get this over with. I do not like that guy. If I don’t get Chandler, give me one of the best guys, Patricky [Freire], or Benson Henderson.”

Primus (9-1) was knocked off balance by a Wilde (12-4) punch after throwing a body kick early in their lightweight fight, allowing the Brit to assume top position. Primus quickly worked to utilize a rubber guard, where he was able to slide his left shin under Wilde’s neck. Primus applied pressure by pushing his foe’s head down, and Wilde tapped shortly thereafter even though the American was unable to bring his right leg across the top to complete the maneuver.

Primus rebounded from losing the 155-pound title to Chandler in a five-round decision at Bellator 212. The Sports Lab product claimed the championship in an upset at Bellator 180 in June 2017 after Chandler suffered a leg injury.

@FabianEdwards24 and Falco Neto did NOT disappoint tonight!
Watch their FULL first round NOW!#BellatorBirmingham pic.twitter.com/XQMuVkoCa0

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 4, 2019

In the co-main event, middleweight prospect Fabian Edwards remained unbeaten thanks to a first-round stoppage of Falco Neto Lopes. Edwards improved to 7-0 as a professional with a technical knockout victory at the 3:51 mark of the frame.

Edwards (7-0), the younger brother of UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, spent much of the early portion of the bout fending off the grappling-minded Lopes in the clinch and on the mat. After creating space with his guard, Edwards rattled his standing opponent with an upkick from his back. Undeterred, Lopes (11-10) attempted to re-enter his foe’s guard only to eat two more upkicks, the second of which made the Portuguese fighter stumble backward. Edwards then hustled to his feet and floored Lopes with a pair of left hands. “The Assassin” needed only one more follow-up blow on the ground before referee Leon Roberts stepped in to wave off the contest.

SBG Ireland product Pedro Carvalho earned the signature victory of his career to date, as he scored a technical knockout of longtime Bellator veteran Derek Campos in a featured lightweight affair. The end came 2:03 into the opening stanza, giving Carvalho his fifth consecutive triumph — and third under the Bellator banner.

Carvalho (10-3) set the tone for his victory immediately by hurting Campos (19-9) with a pair of body kicks and a punching combination to the head during an initial exchange. Campos responded by landing a takedown, but the Portugal native was able to return to his feet in short order. From there, Carvalho dropped Campos with another body kick followed a three-punch combination. The 23-year-old forced the stoppage with approximately nine to 10 unanswered punches on the mat. Campos has lost his last three fights

After the victory, Carvalho called for a spot in Bellator’s upcoming featherweight tournament.

“I’ve been working my ass off for this moment,” he said. “I absolutely deserve it.”

#TheHumanHighlightReel@RD_GOAT #BellatorBirmingham pic.twitter.com/wG5VRsid4I

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 4, 2019

Earlier, Raymond Daniels earned his first mixed martial arts victory in spectacular fashion, as he knocked out Wilker Barros in the evening’s opening main card bout. The end came 4:36 into the opening stanza, giving the reigning Bellator MMA kickboxing champion a memorable win some 11 years after his debut under the Strikeforce banner.

Daniels (1-1) spent the early portions of the welterweight bout finding the range with his usual array of flashy kicks and spinning attacks. Nothing significant landed for much of the round, however, until the 39-year-old put Barros (0-1) on his seat with a spinning back kick to the midsection. When Barros returned to his feet, Daniels expertly feinted a spinning roundhouse kick only to knock his opponent out cold with an overhand right. Once the decisive blow landed, Daniels walked away from Barros, recognizing the deed was done.

While Daniels is best known for his work in the kickboxing ring, he has designs on competing more frequently in MMA.

People like to call themselves the ‘champ-champ’ because they have [belts in] two different weight classes,” Daniels said. “I want to be the 'champ-champ,' holding it down in Bellator Kickboxing, and I’m coming for the top of division in Bellator MMA.”