By The Numbers: Brent Primus vs. Clay Collard

Brent Primus and Clay Collard, like all prizefighters, are motivated by the primal urge to boost their bank accounts.

The battle-tested veterans will collide in the Professional Fighters League lightweight semifinals as part of the PFL 8 main draw on Aug. 16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, where a spot in the $1 million championship awaits the winner. Primus enters the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories over Bruno Miranda and Solomon Renfro. The Fabiano Scherner-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has not lost a fight in more than two years. Collard, meanwhile, finds himself in bounce-back mode after a unanimous decision defeat to Mads Burnell at PFL 5 in June. He was a finalist at 155 pounds in 2023.

As Primus and Collard move ever closer to their looming confrontation, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

39: Years of age for Primus, who was born in Eugene, Oregon, on April 12, 1985. USA for Africa’s “We Are the World,” Phil Collins’ “One More Night,” Madonna’s “Crazy for You,” the Commodores’ “Night Shift” and Madonna’s “Material Girl” were the Top 5 songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 list at the time.

8: Primus victories by submission, accounting for 57% of his career total (14). His methods of choice: six rear-naked chokes, one neck crank and one gogoplata. Primus owns two other victories by knockout or technical knockout (14%) and four more by decision (29%).

65: Seconds needed for Primus to put away Chris Ensley in his Sept. 24, 2010 professional debut under the Brass Knuckle Promotions banner. Nearly 14 years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

539: Days spent by Primus as undisputed Bellator MMA lightweight champion. He laid claim to the title at Bellator 180 on June 24, 2017, then relinquished it at Bellator 212 on Dec. 14 2018.

.829: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Michael Chandler, Islam Mamedov and Alexandr Shabliy—who have defeated Primus. They sport a combined record of 70-14-1.

31: Years of age for Collard, who was born on March 10, 1993 in Payson, Utah. “Falling Down,” “Groundhog Day,” “The Crying Game,” “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” and “Mad Dog and Glory” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.

12: Collard wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 48% of his career total (25). His list of PFL victims: Patricky Freire and Steven Ray. Collard holds three other wins by submission (12%) and 10 more by decision (40%).

325: Total strikes landed by Collard across his four Ultimate Fighting Championship appearances. He connected with 136 of them in a split decision defeat to Tiago dos Santos e Silva at UFC 191 on Sept. 5, 2015—a loss which led to his exit from the promotion.

92: Rounds started by Collard as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 18 different occasions and carries a 10-8 record in those bouts.

233: Combined victories between the 13 men who have beaten Collard: Burnell, Silva, A.J. McKee, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Alex Martinez, Raush Manfio, Darrick Minner, Gabriel Benitez, Max Holloway, Justin Buchholz, David Castillo, Oliver Parker and Jose Salgado. They boast a cumulative .712 winning percentage at 233-94-1.