Bellator 296 Co-Main Event Breakdown

Live coverage of Bellator 296 from the Accor Arena in Paris begins at noon ET/ 9 am PT on the promotion"s official YouTube channel. Main card action immediately follows at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT on the Showtime premium cable network.

All told, barring any postponed fights between now and then, Bellator 296 features a stacked 17-fight card. As we mentioned a moment ago, the first two fights in the Lightweight Grand Prix quarterfinals were held in the second weekend of March during Bellator 292.

This week, quarterfinal action continues in the Bellator 296 co-main event.

𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 🔥

Fight week kicked off in Paris with the official #Bellator296 Press Conference. Bellator MMA takes over the @Accor_Arena this Friday 👊#Bellator296 | Friday at 4pm ET / 1pm PT 📺 | @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/bFbyeYQyhf

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 9, 2023

Primus Battles Barnaoui in Bellator 296 Co-Main Event

The original Grand Prix field of eight competitors will be trimmed to five in Paris. No. 4 contender Brent Primus (11-3 MMA, 9-3 Bellator) will fight No. 8 contender Mansour Barnaoui (8-0 MMA, 1-0 Bellator) in the Bellator 296 co-main event.

All fights in the Bellator MMA Lightweight World Grand Prix will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round. The co-headliner on Friday in Paris is no exception.

Initially, Mansour Barnaoui was slated to fight No. 5 contender Sidney Outlaw (16-5 MMA, 4-2 Bellator MMA) in this quarterfinal fight. Ahead of the Grand Prix beginning earlier this year, Outlaw returned positive drug tests for three banned substances, resulting in his disqualification from the field.

Thus, Primus entered the bracket as an alternate. On Friday, he gets his shot to advance to the semifinals.

Bellator 296 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into quarterfinal #3 of the tournament, Mansour Barnaoui stands as the taller contender at six feet even, compared to the 5-foot-10 frame of Brent Primus. In addition, Barnaoui owns a four-inch reach advantage (77 inches to 73 inches) over Primus.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Mansour Barnaoui installed as a -400 favorite, with Brent Primus countering as a +300 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.

Primus Gets Chance at $1 Million Prize With Outlaw Suspension

Brent Primus enters the Bellator 296 co-main event on Friday night having gone 3-2 in his last five fights. Most recently, he dropped a second-round knockout (right cross followed by ground and pound shots) to Alexander Shabliy (23-3 MMA, 4-0 Bellator) last June.

Initially, Primus was excluded from the eight-contender bracket for this year"s Lightweight Grand Prix, despite the fact that he was informed that he"d be in the original field. He revealed in a January interview that he was  distraught over the snub.

“I was told I was in the tournament," Primus mentioned at the time. “I literally called my manager every week. ‘Dude, you"re in the tournament, don"t worry. And I went to conditioning and looked at my phone and saw that I wasn"t in the tournament and, man, I just wanted to cry. I lost all motivation. It just hurts, man. Hurts really bad."

Upon Outlaw"s suspension, Primus was given the former"s place in the bracket. He used his Tuesday media availability to say that he wants that $1 million prize.

“It would [feel good]," Primus said of the money. “Life-changing for me and my family. I"m ready for the challenge and after I beat Mansour, I"m going for the champ over there."

Brent Primus is a man who wasn"t even supposed to be in this Grand Prix, but due to a disqualification, he"s now just three wins away from $1 million, so can he begin his journey with a victory? Tune in Friday and find out.

“Home Game" For Mansour Barnaoui in Bellator 296 Co-Main Event

In the other corner, Mansour Barnaoui has gone 5-0 in his last five fights. At present, he"s on an eight-fight winning streak.

All eight of those wins have come inside the distance, including his Oct. 29 victory against Adam Piccolotti (14-5 MMA, 10-5 Bellator during Bellator 287. Friday"s co-main event serves as a “home game" for Barnaoui, whose fight camp is based out of Paris.

After the fight, Barnaoui talked to Cageside Press about the then-upcoming tournament draw and entered a plea that he should have been one of the eight competitors in the bracket.

“I was coming to Bellator to make the tournament and win the belt," Barnaoui mentioned. “I would really like to make the tournament and fight Usman [Nurmagomedov]."

Nurmagomedov won his quarterfinal fight in early March, so that part of the equation is still possible, but it"ll be all for naught if he doesn"t win here on Friday. Only time will tell if he advances to the semifinal round of the tournament.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the Bellator 296 co-main event is a dead heat. Both of these men are extremely adept at Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Look For Barnaoui to Attack the Neck

As we"ve mentioned previously, Mansour Barnaoui has won eight consecutive fights by stoppage. When he gets an opponent down on the ground, like he did versus Piccolotti in October, it could be the opening he needs to write an exclamation point to the story.

In the second round of the contest, with the fight already on the cage mat, Barnaoui expertly took his opponent"s back. At that point, he never let Piccolotti go. While the latter did a respectable job at fighting off the figure-four lock, he couldn"t protect his neck.

It was only a matter of time before Mansour Barnaoui sunk in a rear-naked choke. Look for him to attempt a takedown as soon as possible.

Brent Primus Can End the Fight Quickly, Too

In the other corner, please do not discount the submission prowess of Brent Primus. He can end the fight before you get back from the fridge.

During the first round of his fight versus Tim Wylde, Primus found himself on the bottom position, but quickly reversed to take top mount. From there, Primus applied the needed torque to lock up the gogoplata.

If Primus is on the receiving end of a takedown, watch for him to use his grappling to get himself out of trouble. Make that sandwich run before the fight starts.

Final Thoughts

Even though there"s no title at stake, both Mansour Barnaoui and Brent Primus are bidding for a shot at the Bellator MMA Lightweight Championship down the road. Therefore, expect these gladiators to give it their all.

Prediction: Brent Primus by Unanimous Decision.

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