Bellator 212: Primus vs Chandler 2 preview

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Bellator graces the Hawaiian islands with a major duo of cards, the first of which having a collection of vets and prospects, as well as a smattering of fun local fighters to round out the card. All of this headlined by a highly anticipated championship rematch between former lightweight king Michael Chandler and Brent Primus.

Chandler (18-4) has had a hot hand since his bizarre loss to Primus last year, having defeated Goiti Yamauchi and Brandon Girtz since then. Primus has been inactive due to injuries since then, being out of commission for a year and a half. Primus (8-0) has had some submission wins and dogged determination to win his fights, and is hungry to prove that the first fight was not a fluke.

Frank Mir (18-12) is a long way from his championship ways in the UFC, and will be facing hard hitting Javy Ayala (10-7). Mir has been inactive since April, where he suffered a loss at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko in the heavyweight tournament. Ayala’s coming off a decision loss to Roy Nelson and a devastating KO loss against Chieck Kongo, all after his shocking knockout win against Sergei Kharitonov.

Colombian standout striker Alejandra Lara (7-2) will attempt to rebound from her loss to flyweight champ Ilima-Lei MacFarlane earlier this year as she tangles with Brazilian judoka Julianna Velasquez (7-0). Velasquez had her last outing against the very tough Rebecca Ruth, in a fight where she slammed the brakes on Ruth.

Derek Campos (19-7) brings his dynamic striking against UFC vet Sam Sicilia (15-9), while rising sensation AJ McKee (12-0) faces British prospect Daniel Crawford (10-2).

Former UFC and World Series of Fighting fighter Chris Avila (5-7) stared death in the face against Artem Lobov, but survived to continue his career. He’ll do so by stepping in against Brandon Pieper (10-11). Robson Gracie Jr. makes his pro debut against Brysen Bolohao, also making his pro debut. Gracie is the younger brother of Renzo Gracie, and hopes to rep the Gracie name hard.

Ty-wan Claxton has a knack for putting on wild performances, and hopes to put on a show like he did in his breakout bout, this time against Kaeo Meyer (3-3).

Also, you can check out the weigh-ins and results right here.

Full card is as follows:

Brent Primus vs Michael Chandler – Lightweight title fight

Frank Mir vs Javy Ayala – Heavyweight

Alejandra Lara vs Julianna Velasquez – Flyweight

Derek Campos vs Sam Sicilia – Featherweight

AJ McKee Jr vs Daniel Crawford – Featherweight

Brandon Pieper vs Chris Ayala – Lightweight

Robson Gracie Jr vs Brysen Bolohao – Welterweight

Toby Misech vs Edward Thommes – Featherweight

Ty-wan Claxton vs Kaeo Meyer – 150lb catchweight

Paul Lopes vs Nick Badis – Featherweight

Fight sports has a new contender in the US. Watch over 100 fight nights a year, just $9.99 a month. Sign up now and get your first month free.

Share this story

About the author

Victor Rodriguez

Victor Rodriguez has been a writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow since 2015. He started his way as a lowly commenter and moderator to become the miscreant he is now. He often does weekly bits on fringe martial arts items across the globe, oddball street combat pieces, previews, analysis, and some behind-the-scenes support. He has trained in wrestling, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the occasional Muay Thai and Judo lesson here and there. Victor has also been involved with acting and audio editing projects. He lives in Pennsylvania where he plays way too many video games and is an S-rank dad.